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Monday, October 22, 2012

More Redundant Redundancy

Maybe it is because of my German heritage.  Or maybe it’s because I’ve seen amazing things break when they shouldn’t have.  Or maybe It’s because I don’t want to take a chance and have to spend big bucks to fix things.

We’ve decided that we’ll get the awning motor replaced at a dealer this December when we’re going to be in one place at our South Carolina “home” for about six weeks.  That will give us plenty of time to have the awning motor ordered and replaced under our extended warranty.  It is the best solution.

In the mean time, I had to secure the awning in place as directed by the owner’s manual.  The screw I removed to allow the awning to close is supposed to be put back to keep the awning from unfurling going down the highway (Bad, BAD Ju Ju!).

And so came the problem.  I could not turn the awning shaft enough to line up the screw hole.  I tried and tried to no avail.

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Now you know I always have a Plan “B” (and “C” thru “Z”).  Along with duct tape and WD-40, every RV should have a supply of bungee cords and plastic “Zip” ties.

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I used a couple of bungee cords to ensure the awning can’t unfurl and the arms can’t pull open.

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Then to be doubly sure, I put a couple of Zip ties around the awning arms, redundancy to be sure, but better this than dancing around on the side of the highway on a windy day trying to close an unfurled awning.  Been there once with another motorhome some years back in windy Oklahoma, almost getting beaten to death by the awning before we got it secured.

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Did the same thing at the rear of the awning, too.

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The Zip ties have to be cut off to remove them.  Everything looks secure now.

But if you think all we do is work on the awning problem, we’ve had lots of fun doing things we never had time to do before.  Like sitting and watching a sunset, we never did that before.

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We had company, too.  Looks like this stork (I know, I know, bear with me) took a break from delivering babies to enjoy the sunset, too.

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It was beautiful.

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We went out in the middle of the night to watch for the meteor shower from Halley's Comet’s tail.  In two hours we saw one meteor for sure and maybe a couple of tiny ones.  Okay, not quite what we were expecting, but fun to be out in the peace and quiet of the night enjoying the cool air, the stars and each other’s company.

Then, best of all, the crowded beach.  Sugar white sand and warm, gentle ocean waves.  What’s not to love?

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We’ve found Destin, Florida to be high up on our list of favorite places we’ve been to and we’ll surely return again and again.  Who knows, we may just have to touch base with a realtor when we come off the fulltime road in forty or fifty years.  ;c)

Thanks for visiting and feel free to leave a comment.

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16 comments:

  1. Looks like that awning fix will hang in there for awhile. And you're taking time to relax - that's the best part.

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  2. I don't know where we'll end up when this journey is done, but I do know it will be on water. Nothing is more soothing to the soul than the sound of the sea. Can't replicate it...ever.

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  3. We both outta buy stock in bungee cords! I don't blame you for being redundant...awnings coming loose are not a good idea :)

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  4. Wow, you are right, I looked up redundant in the dictionary and it had a picture of you working on the awning:))

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  5. The good thing is you can go back as often as you want and whenever you want right now. You have wheels ... anyplace can be in your backyard.

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  6. Good job on the redundancy. Maybe you could add a little duct tape too.

    P.S. That's a Great Blue Heron, or were you using creative licence?

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  7. Replies
    1. OK, duh, I get it about the stork taking a break from delivering babies. (You did say, "I know, I know. Bear with me." Sometimes I'm so serious.)

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  8. duct tape and bungie cords and zap straps..a necessity for every rv'er!!..hope the awning stays where it is suppose to for now!!

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  9. Awnings are a mixed blessing. Something I know from bad experience.
    Try not to trip over anyone on that crowded beach.

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  10. Once you get the water, salt and sand in your soul there's no turning back;o)) But we do have to get you a shore bird book...cause Nature is Amazing!!!

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  11. Paul looks like you have it secured. Kind of looks similar to our over-the-door awning (if you recall what it looked like). At least you have the extended warranty to help you out. I'll just be paying outright to have our OTD awning fixed. Be safe.

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  12. Nice job on securing the awning - that should do it, you can never be too redundant in cases like this.

    Nice looking, quiet beach.

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  13. Seems the Sunsets are always beautiful in FL, especially over the water.

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  14. Good job on the awning....we did the duct tape thing last year when Rick tore the shroud on one of the ac units...his motto if you can get it to stay together duct tape it ...if you can get it to come apart wd40 it....

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  15. We've decided the same thing for our crack repair...it will wait until we're in Florida not working for several weeks. Meanwhile, waterproof electrical tape came to our fix!

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