House One Meets House Two

We're "Dead End Kids" with our new home base.  Fortunately for us, right next to the house is a small parking area, just big enough to pull the Journey into.

Job number one was to give the Journey a well deserved (and long overdue) washing.  The Journey is residing in a nearby storage lot which is unpaved and pretty dusty.

After a couple of hours, the Journey looked much better.

We're leaving next week for a trip to Disney World in Florida with our Jersey granddaughters Anabelle and Lizzie for their very first visit (Shh, don't tell them, it's a surprise).  Then Marti and I plan on sliding down to Key West for a couple of weeks to give our "Tadpole" scooters and our Sea Eagle kayak some use.

So we did a few maintenance tasks to prep the Journey.  Marti took on the seeming never ending task of removing some more of the plastic Diamond Shield from the Journey's nose.  It takes a long time to get some of it off.  Still lots more to remove.  I ordered some 3M adhesive remover to tackle the residual glue, looking forward to using it to clean the glue off the paint (thanks, Steve!).

I did an engine fuel filter change, it's a bugger to get to, it's inside under the floor in the back bedroom.  I have to remove a step cover and then a bolted down engine hatch cover.  Sometimes I miss having a front engine motor home.

SOme years ago I added a manual priming pump to the fuel system so I can pump fresh diesel fuel into the empty filter through the filter medium so no dirt can enter the fuel system by pre filling the filter with unfiltered fuel.  Lots of  "fuel" in that sentence, eh?  😁  Fuel pumps and injectors can easily be damaged by unfiltered fuel and boy are they expensive to replace!

A general check of everything on the engine and a thorough lubing of my exhaust brake finished up the under floor items.  I'll get the oil changed at a Speedco shop on our way to Florida.  It's quick and easy and relatively cheap to have it done, along with a chassis greassing.

A good bit of penetrating oil on the electric step and a topping off of all the tire pressures rounded out our pre trip tasks.

After everything was completed, we returned the Journey to its spot in the storage lot.  Next week, we'll bring it back over to House 2 and dewinterize it to leave on February 1st.  Can't wait to roll into Disney's Fort Wilderness campground for our fun visit with the Jersey grands!

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How Can Retirement Be So Busy?

Busy is not the word I expected when we moved into our home base two months ago.  Along with taking delivery of the new furnishings and assembling some of them, there were little things like hanging drapes and curtains, finding places for new dishes and silverware (and trying to remember where they were placed) as well as arranging the house to get it to where we wanted things to go.

Then the entertainment of family and friends began with Thanksgiving, a visit with good friends from the COE Volunteer Village and a two week trial with my dad staying in his new rooms we have set aside for him if or when he decides to stay with us instead of living on his own.

We did get a chance to get away for ten days and drive up to NJ to spend Christmas with our two granddaughters, Anabelle and Lizzie.  It was a lot of fun, worth the two day car trip up (and back).

We took time to go out to eat and give their mom a break from cooking.  Marti and Anabelle like coloring while waiting for the food.

It was fun on Christmas morning with all the gifts.  Mom Amanda helped the girls open their presents.

Little Madison smartly stayed out of the way.

After all the presents were opened, little Lizzie couldn't decide which toy to play with first.

Right after we returned to the home base, we had to hop a plane the next day to go "home" and take care of some residency requirements.

Dakota Post, our mailing service's new building.  Finishing up all that paperwork, we did a little sight seeing.  Sioux Falls in winter.  Music from the Disney movie Frozen bounced around my head.

  

Cold never bothered me anyway!

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