Staycation . . . what a ridiculous concept! Tom and I are on mandatory vacation this week, and we can't go camping yet because we're still waiting for the title to our truck. So, we're trying to make the most of these vacation days spent at home.
Yesterday we did a little bit of work around the house, and then the boys wanted to go play miniature golf. So, we did that and had burgers for dinner at a little bar in Ypsilanti, MI. It's called the Sidetrack Bar & Grill, and they are supposedly among the "Top 20" burgers in the US, according to GQ magazine. Tom and I had burgers with hand cut fries (yum!), and Bryce had mini burgers -- they were definitely good! Nicolas had a philly cheesesteak hoagie, which was quite large, and he finished all of it! On the way home, we stopped at Dunham's Sporting Goods store and bought a small tent for Nicolas & Bryce to sleep in on our next camping trip, later in July. We'll be tenting it on that one because the RV is too big for the site we have reserved.
Today the boys were flying kites and playing golf for a while, and then Tom decided to try putting up the tent. It went up fairly easily, except for the rainfly, which was too big for the pole that came with it. We called their customer service number, and they are sending us a new rainfly and pole -- not bad service for a $30 tent!
We talked to the daughter of the guy we bought the truck from, and she informed us that she got the truck title today and overnighted it to us -- YEAH!! We are supposed to have it by noon tomorrow! We'll have to make a quick trip to the Secretary of State, but then we can be on our way to Geneva-on-the-Lake, OH. It's only 227 miles for us, so leaving in the afternoon won't be too bad. After several days of 90+ temperatures, it was only 65 degrees today! Same forecast for tomorrow, but supposed to gradually warm back up by the weekend. We will be at this campground until Monday, so should have a few warm days before we head home. We're all very excited about our first camping trip in our new home!
Tonight we did a little grocery shopping for a few items we need for camping, took Nicolas to his guitar lesson, had some dinner at TGI Fridays, and then went to Bryce's last baseball game. It was a close one, and they won -- so it was a good way to end the season. They have a playoff game on Thursday, which we'll miss. His team is in 4th place in their division, so they'll play against the 1st place team. IF they happen to win, they will continue if the playoffs next week, and Bryce will be there for the rest of the games. His coach wanted us to postpone our trip until after Thursday's game, but no way -- it's July already, and we haven't been camping yet! We're all desperately in need of this camping trip!
OK, that's it for now . . . not sure if we'll have internet on this trip, but if we do I'll try to do posts each day. If not, I'll catch up when we get home, or if I can find wi-fi somewhere in town.
I hope everyone has a happy and safe 4th of July weekend!!
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Interior Pictures
Today we spent some time moving all of our "camping stuff" from the barn (where we left it after unpacking the motorhome), to the new 5er. It took awhile, but luckily we still have empty storage space!!
Since we had the RV all opened up, I took some interior pictures to share.
Here's the living room and kitchen -- lot of cabinets, and TALL!!
Our bedroom and the bathroom -- one of the key floorplan features we were looking for was the split bath --
Bryce's loft and the garage which will become Nicolas' room --
One more outside with the awning out --
The boys came out to help me, and took some time to check out their new home!
Since we had the RV all opened up, I took some interior pictures to share.
Here's the living room and kitchen -- lot of cabinets, and TALL!!
 |
| From 200906_RVandTruck |
 |
| From 200906_RVandTruck |
 |
| From 200906_RVandTruck |
Our bedroom and the bathroom -- one of the key floorplan features we were looking for was the split bath --
 |
| From 200906_RVandTruck |
 |
| From 200906_RVandTruck |
 |
| From 200906_RVandTruck |
Bryce's loft and the garage which will become Nicolas' room --
 |
| From 200906_RVandTruck |
 |
| From 200906_RVandTruck |
One more outside with the awning out --
 |
| From 200906_RVandTruck |
The boys came out to help me, and took some time to check out their new home!
 |
| From 200906_RVandTruck |
 |
| From 200906_RVandTruck |
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Slight problem
We had a huge rainstorm here this afternoon, so Tom and I figured we would go out and make sure the X-Aire did not have any leaks. All looked good around the windows, doors and ceiling, but then I found a small puddle on the floor next to the dinette/sofa slideout. Uh oh!!!
Further investigation revealed a substantial amount of water on top of the slide, and Tom noticed that he could see light coming through the seal around the slide. Not good! Comparing the look of this seal to the one on the bedroom slide, it was obvious that there was definitely something wrong with this seal. We cycled the slideroom out, and could see the seal rolling over as the slide moved. It's clear to us that the seal is going to have to be replaced. Our assessment is that the RV probably sat for so long without the slide being moved, in the heat of Florida, that it somehow got stuck or rotted. The dealer in South Carolina probably should have noticed this, but they didn't, and we apparantly didn't look closely enough when we picked it up. It's not the end of the world, but it needs to be fixed!
We cycled the room back in, repositioning the seal several times, until we got it back in place with the slide in. We are pretty confident that we can get it into the proper location with the slide out too, so we should be OK for our camping trip next week, but it definitely requires attention. We are planning on visiting my family in Indiana the following weekend, so Tom is going to call our salesman and get him to assist us with scheduling a service visit at Newmar.
We'll probably have to leave it there for a little while, but that's OK - we can't use it on our next camping trip, anyway!
That's it for today -- and I promise to take some interior pictures soon!!
Further investigation revealed a substantial amount of water on top of the slide, and Tom noticed that he could see light coming through the seal around the slide. Not good! Comparing the look of this seal to the one on the bedroom slide, it was obvious that there was definitely something wrong with this seal. We cycled the slideroom out, and could see the seal rolling over as the slide moved. It's clear to us that the seal is going to have to be replaced. Our assessment is that the RV probably sat for so long without the slide being moved, in the heat of Florida, that it somehow got stuck or rotted. The dealer in South Carolina probably should have noticed this, but they didn't, and we apparantly didn't look closely enough when we picked it up. It's not the end of the world, but it needs to be fixed!
We cycled the room back in, repositioning the seal several times, until we got it back in place with the slide in. We are pretty confident that we can get it into the proper location with the slide out too, so we should be OK for our camping trip next week, but it definitely requires attention. We are planning on visiting my family in Indiana the following weekend, so Tom is going to call our salesman and get him to assist us with scheduling a service visit at Newmar.
We'll probably have to leave it there for a little while, but that's OK - we can't use it on our next camping trip, anyway!
That's it for today -- and I promise to take some interior pictures soon!!
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
We're home . . . with our new home!!
Well, it was definitely an adventure, but we made it!! Sunday at midnight, my brother dropped us off at the train station in Toledo.
It was a long ride to Washington DC, but we were glad to be riding and not driving!! The trip was uneventful, and we arrived in DC at 1:35pm on Monday. Our train to Fredericksburg was scheduled to leave at 2:30pm, so we went to grab a quick lunch at McDonald's. We had printed our tickets in Toledo, so we were all set. Hurrying back to the gate, we found out that our train was coming from Boston, and was going to be an hour late!! Now, we only had 1 hour, 20 min. to get to the DMV in Fredericksburg if our train was on time . . . and with an hour delay, we knew it was going to be close!! The truck owner was meeting us at the train station to take us to the DMV. Tom jumped into the driver's seat, and took off for the DMV with Charlie's wife navigating -- I'm not sure they were ready for Tom's Detroit driving skills!! From the back seat, Charlie reminded Tom "If you break it, you bought it!!" We arrived at the DMV at 5:03pm, and they had locked the doors!!! But, do you think that would stop my husband?? Not a chance!! There was a lobby full of people waiting in line, and Tom noticed that people were coming out the side door when they were done. Tom told Charlie, Alice (his daughter who was doing most of the legwork on this transaction) and I, "The next time someone walks out that door, we're going in!" And that's exactly what we did -- nobody even noticed us slip into line!! It was a success, and we left there with the trip permit we needed to return to MI with the truck.
With that out of the way, Tom finally was able to look the truck over! As promised, it was immaculate! We completed the transaction, and were on our way to South Carolina to pick up the RV. Here are Tom and I with Charlie, and our new truck!
After a quick dinner and a fill-up of diesel, we headed south! We got as far as Smithfield, NC Monday night, and settled in at Becky's Log Cabin motel. It was late, so we headed to bed as soon as we called the families to assure them that we did get out of DC before that horrible train accident!
On Tuesday morning, we were on the road by 7:30 am, and arrived at John's RV in Lexington, SC by 11am.
Our new rig was waiting for us -- clean, cool, and ready to travel! Chris, a technician at John's RV, walked us through our RV, showing us all of the features and amenities.
We found a few little issues on the exterior, and they fixed them right up. After admiring the new truck, the guys verified the height of the hitch and helped Tom get the 5er hitched up to the truck, and adjusted the brake controller. We completed the necessary paperwork, and then it was time to go. This whole process took about 3.5 hours, but we were very impressed with the service provided by the folks at John's RV -- they were great!!
It was almost 800 miles to get home, and we arrived around 2:30pm this afternoon. It was a LONG drive, but the trucked pulled great -- and at 15,675 lbs. dry, that was no small feat!! We were glad to have the 450, and it looks good, too!!
Back at home, we just had to figure out how to get it turned around . . . and we did! Time for bed -- back to work tomorrow! I'll post interior pics this weekend!
 |
| From 200906_RVandTruck |
It was a long ride to Washington DC, but we were glad to be riding and not driving!! The trip was uneventful, and we arrived in DC at 1:35pm on Monday. Our train to Fredericksburg was scheduled to leave at 2:30pm, so we went to grab a quick lunch at McDonald's. We had printed our tickets in Toledo, so we were all set. Hurrying back to the gate, we found out that our train was coming from Boston, and was going to be an hour late!! Now, we only had 1 hour, 20 min. to get to the DMV in Fredericksburg if our train was on time . . . and with an hour delay, we knew it was going to be close!! The truck owner was meeting us at the train station to take us to the DMV. Tom jumped into the driver's seat, and took off for the DMV with Charlie's wife navigating -- I'm not sure they were ready for Tom's Detroit driving skills!! From the back seat, Charlie reminded Tom "If you break it, you bought it!!" We arrived at the DMV at 5:03pm, and they had locked the doors!!! But, do you think that would stop my husband?? Not a chance!! There was a lobby full of people waiting in line, and Tom noticed that people were coming out the side door when they were done. Tom told Charlie, Alice (his daughter who was doing most of the legwork on this transaction) and I, "The next time someone walks out that door, we're going in!" And that's exactly what we did -- nobody even noticed us slip into line!! It was a success, and we left there with the trip permit we needed to return to MI with the truck.
With that out of the way, Tom finally was able to look the truck over! As promised, it was immaculate! We completed the transaction, and were on our way to South Carolina to pick up the RV. Here are Tom and I with Charlie, and our new truck!
 |
| From 200906_RVandTruck |
 |
| From 200906_RVandTruck |
After a quick dinner and a fill-up of diesel, we headed south! We got as far as Smithfield, NC Monday night, and settled in at Becky's Log Cabin motel. It was late, so we headed to bed as soon as we called the families to assure them that we did get out of DC before that horrible train accident!
On Tuesday morning, we were on the road by 7:30 am, and arrived at John's RV in Lexington, SC by 11am.
 |
| From 200906_RVandTruck |
Our new rig was waiting for us -- clean, cool, and ready to travel! Chris, a technician at John's RV, walked us through our RV, showing us all of the features and amenities.
 |
| From 200906_RVandTruck |
 |
| From 200906_RVandTruck |
We found a few little issues on the exterior, and they fixed them right up. After admiring the new truck, the guys verified the height of the hitch and helped Tom get the 5er hitched up to the truck, and adjusted the brake controller. We completed the necessary paperwork, and then it was time to go. This whole process took about 3.5 hours, but we were very impressed with the service provided by the folks at John's RV -- they were great!!
 |
| From 200906_RVandTruck |
It was almost 800 miles to get home, and we arrived around 2:30pm this afternoon. It was a LONG drive, but the trucked pulled great -- and at 15,675 lbs. dry, that was no small feat!! We were glad to have the 450, and it looks good, too!!
 |
| From 200906_RVandTruck |
Back at home, we just had to figure out how to get it turned around . . . and we did! Time for bed -- back to work tomorrow! I'll post interior pics this weekend!
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Our big adventure starts tomorrow
Well, we've done all the planning and preparing we can, and now we just have to have faith that everything will work out for the best. We have our train tickets to Washington DC and Fredericksburg, arrangements have been made for the boys and the dog to stay with Tom's brother and sister-in-law, we mapped out the locations in Fredericksburg that we need to find, and we've mapped out our route from Virginia to South Carolina, and back to Michigan.
Now, we just have to hope that the truck is in the condition we're expecting it to be in, and that we have no incidents along the way. Our families think we are crazy to be going across the country to buy this truck and pick up the trailer! It is a little bit unusual, but we've done everything we can to minimize the risk. If all goes well we'll be back home on Wednesday . . . with the truck and trailer!!
Happy Father's Day to all the Dads out there!!
Now, we just have to hope that the truck is in the condition we're expecting it to be in, and that we have no incidents along the way. Our families think we are crazy to be going across the country to buy this truck and pick up the trailer! It is a little bit unusual, but we've done everything we can to minimize the risk. If all goes well we'll be back home on Wednesday . . . with the truck and trailer!!
Happy Father's Day to all the Dads out there!!
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Getting closer to reality . . .
We've decided on a truck! It's a white F-450 dually, 2008 with only 5K miles on it. It's in Virginia, which is leading to some complications regarding the transfer of the vehicle, but at least it's in the same direction as the 5er. As of tonight, our plan is to take a train from Toledo, OH to Washington DC Sunday night (leaves Toledo at midnight, arrives in DC at 1pm), and then another train from DC to Fredericksburg to meet the owner of the truck. We'll make the truck transaction there, and then travel to Lexington, SC to pick up the X-Aire toy hauler on Tuesday, and then back home sometime Wednesday. IT'll be a long couple of days, but we thought that taking the train would be more restful than driving a rental car all the way down there on Sunday - at least we can attempt to sleep on the train! Actually, Tom should have no problem - I think he can sleep anywhere!! LOL
The complication has to do with the fact that the current owner of the truck has a loan on it, which has to be paid off before the lein can be released and the title signed over to us. We're trying to find out if the Virginia DMV can provide some type of document or temporary plate for us to have for our travels to South Carolina and ultimately back to Michigan. If anybody out there has bought a vehicle out of state before, and can offer some suggestions, it would be greatly appreciated!!
It's all coming together - now if only some of Natasha's good luck would rub off on us, and our house would sell . . .
The complication has to do with the fact that the current owner of the truck has a loan on it, which has to be paid off before the lein can be released and the title signed over to us. We're trying to find out if the Virginia DMV can provide some type of document or temporary plate for us to have for our travels to South Carolina and ultimately back to Michigan. If anybody out there has bought a vehicle out of state before, and can offer some suggestions, it would be greatly appreciated!!
It's all coming together - now if only some of Natasha's good luck would rub off on us, and our house would sell . . .
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Happy Birthday, Nicolas!!
Today my baby turned 13!! Here he is today,
and here he is 13 years ago!!
As a treat for Nicolas' birthday, we went to Milan Dragway for the All-Ford NMHA Nationals (I have NO IDEA what that stands for . . . but it was exciting!)
There was a Mustang car show - this one was really pretty,
and of course the races! There was quite a range of cars, 95% of them were Mustangs, and they were FAST, and LOUD!! Some of them lifted their front wheels right off the ground - this red one went almost completely vertical!! I caught it just as it came off the line.
There were a few unusual dragsters, too . . . like this Focus - which made almost no sound at all!! It was humorous, but he made a good effort!
The last one we saw was this jet-powered dragster, driven by Elaine Larsen for Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Now, this was cool . . . and LOUD . . . and FAST!! When they fired up the turbine engine, she made so much smoke it was like a rocket taking off, and you could feel the vibration through your whole body. Her 1/4 mile time was 5.5 seconds, at 279 mph!! Amazing!
All in all, I think the boys enjoyed their day at the Dragstrip . . . and Mom did, too!
 |
| From 200906_Milan Dragway |
and here he is 13 years ago!!
 |
| From 200906_Milan Dragway |
As a treat for Nicolas' birthday, we went to Milan Dragway for the All-Ford NMHA Nationals (I have NO IDEA what that stands for . . . but it was exciting!)
 |
| From 200906_Milan Dragway |
 |
| From 200906_Milan Dragway |
There was a Mustang car show - this one was really pretty,
 |
| From 200906_Milan Dragway |
and of course the races! There was quite a range of cars, 95% of them were Mustangs, and they were FAST, and LOUD!! Some of them lifted their front wheels right off the ground - this red one went almost completely vertical!! I caught it just as it came off the line.
 |
| From 200906_Milan Dragway |
There were a few unusual dragsters, too . . . like this Focus - which made almost no sound at all!! It was humorous, but he made a good effort!
 |
| From 200906_Milan Dragway |
The last one we saw was this jet-powered dragster, driven by Elaine Larsen for Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Now, this was cool . . . and LOUD . . . and FAST!! When they fired up the turbine engine, she made so much smoke it was like a rocket taking off, and you could feel the vibration through your whole body. Her 1/4 mile time was 5.5 seconds, at 279 mph!! Amazing!
 |
| From 200906_Milan Dragway |
All in all, I think the boys enjoyed their day at the Dragstrip . . . and Mom did, too!
 |
| From 200906_Milan Dragway |
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Our new 5er . . .
Go to the bottom of the blog to find a jigsaw puzzle of our new 5er . . . we' still shopping for a truck to pull it with!
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
We sold the motorhome!!!
Yea - we did it! The previous buyer (Lady from Ohio) fell through, but then on Thursday we got a call from a family who lives about 2 hours north of us. They came down that evening to take a look, and appeared to be pretty interested. They called back the next day to arrange to return on Saturday to drive it. They seemed to really like it after driving it on Saturday, but had another to look at before deciding. The guy called Saturday night, and he and Tom talked for a good hour on the phone, debating the pros and cons of the two RV's. They finally reached an agreement on a price, and they returned yesterday to pick it up. So, our motorhome is gone now - but it has a new family that I'm sure will enjoy it.
Good timing, too . . . since just last week we put a deposit on a 5th Wheel Toy Hauler . . . more about that in my next post!
Good timing, too . . . since just last week we put a deposit on a 5th Wheel Toy Hauler . . . more about that in my next post!
Monday, June 1, 2009
Warning - food pictures!
On Sunday, we took a trip to Frankenmuth, MI, which is about an hour north of us - home of the famous chicken dinners!
We both have birthdays in May (Marci on the 12th and Tom on the 13th), so we get two free dinners during our birthday month. So, since yesterday was the end of the month, we decided to take a road trip.
The boys like to start the day with a visit to the Zehnders Bakery for giant donuts, so that was our 1st stop. They have a cute little booth where we sat to enjoy our treats!
There are several cute shopping areas to enjoy, so we walked around window-shopping for a couple of hours. Here are the boys on the bridge over the river, with the covered bridge in the background.
The stores are your typical candle shops, toy stores, candy stores, popcorn, specialty clothes shops, etc... The boys bought some candy to take home, but that was the extent of our purchases. Here's Bryce posing as the Zehnder's chicken, drinking a diet pepsi.
When we first arrived, we had made dinner reservations for 4pm, so we headed back to Zehnders for our dinner. There was a line, not too long, but we walked right past and were seated right away.
They have a full menu of items (which I've never even looked at!), but our birthday coupons were for the "Famous family style" 3-course dinner. First they bring the appetizers - chicken soup, bread, garlic toast with pate, cranberry relish and cabbage salad. Second is the main course - chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, noodles, green beans, dressing.
Doesn't it look delicious??!!
After dinner, the birthday guests get hot fudge or hot caramel sundaes (Tom took fudge, I got caramel), and the boys get plain ice cream. We all enjoyed our treats!
It was a fun-filled, food-filled day, and we thoroughly enjoyed it!
P.S. Update on the motorhome - no sale yet, but Tom's not done negotiating!
 |
| From 200905_Frankenmuth |
The boys like to start the day with a visit to the Zehnders Bakery for giant donuts, so that was our 1st stop. They have a cute little booth where we sat to enjoy our treats!
 |
| From 200905_Frankenmuth |
 |
| From 200905_Frankenmuth |
There are several cute shopping areas to enjoy, so we walked around window-shopping for a couple of hours. Here are the boys on the bridge over the river, with the covered bridge in the background.
 |
| From 200905_Frankenmuth |
 |
| From 200905_Frankenmuth |
When we first arrived, we had made dinner reservations for 4pm, so we headed back to Zehnders for our dinner. There was a line, not too long, but we walked right past and were seated right away.
 |
| From 200905_Frankenmuth |
 |
| From 200905_Frankenmuth |
Doesn't it look delicious??!!
 |
| From 200905_Frankenmuth |
After dinner, the birthday guests get hot fudge or hot caramel sundaes (Tom took fudge, I got caramel), and the boys get plain ice cream. We all enjoyed our treats!
 |
| From 200905_Frankenmuth |
 |
| From 200905_Frankenmuth |
It was a fun-filled, food-filled day, and we thoroughly enjoyed it!
P.S. Update on the motorhome - no sale yet, but Tom's not done negotiating!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)