We’re Safe Now

Another lovely, quiet day here at the Volunteer Village.  Warm, clear blue skies, with a wonderful, slight breeze.  It doesn’t get any better than this, and we’re enjoying it.  :c)

No work today, we report back on Monday with our job picks, hopefully some of our picks will be available, so we’ve chosen several different ones, just in case.  We have to do our on line driver’s course, so that will take a few hours tonight or tomorrow.

With all this free time on my hands, you know I can’t sit still.  Yesterday, we drove the one and a half hours to our daughter Heather’s house for a visit and so Marti could give grandsons Andrew and Owie their piano lessons.  While she was teaching, I drove to the nearby Camping World and picked up a new LP Leak Detector.

It’s to replace the defective one that is in our Journey.

Opening the package, the new detector has just two wires to hook up, an easy install.  The unit uses 12V battery power to work.  Also note the manufacture date (in red letters), June 2013.  The unit should be replaced after five years.

I unhooked the old detector, it has a plug connector.

Snipped off the wires,

and using a wire stripping plier, I stripped some insulation off the wires for inserting in an automotive wire butt connector.

Typical me, I taped the connections with electrical tape to make sure the connections don’t come apart from vibration.  I just have to overbuild everything, I can’t help it, it’s my German heritage…

I also put the five year replacement date on the unit so I’ll remember to change it out.  Funny, the instructions say to replace the unit five years from the manufacture date, yet on the front of the unit it shows a January 2015 replacement date. Maybe it was manufactured with an older cover?  (Click to enlarge).  I was happy to see the green light, showing that it was working normally.

This unit has a test button, I pressed it and got a loud alarm and a red light.  We’re safe now!

Of course, nothing ever goes easy.  The old detector fit in a hole cut in a wood panel that is too small for the new unit.  I have to get some wood to cover the hole and make it look pretty.  That will have to wait until our next trip into town, about 18 miles from here.

One more item, I made a brace on the piping on the Journey’s LP tank where the fitting came loose.  I think vibration was what caused the fitting to loosen, so I used a “U'” bolt, some rubber and a couple of wire ties to support the piping and dampen any vibration.

We can sleep easier now, knowing we won’t be waking up in mid-air from an LP explosion.  :cD

Thanks for visiting and feel free to leave a comment.

We’re Still Here

Sometimes miracles happen.  Despite the crazy government shutdown which has shuttered Corps of Engineers (COE) parks and campgrounds across the country, here at J. Strom Thurmond COE recreation area, money has been found to keep things up and running until October 19th.  After that, if Congress has not figured out a way to solve this mess, things may change.  We shall see.

Today we had to go to the visitor center and meet with our supervising ranger for orientation. We were in a large conference room with fellow volunteers filling out form after form and getting the lowdown on different jobs that needed to be filled.  All while being watched over by Strom Thurmond himself.

We’ve been given a list of jobs to pick from and we have to let the ranger know what we’d like to take on next Monday.  In the mean time, we have an on line driver education course we have to complete over the weekend to be able to drive the COE vehicles.  Hope I pass.

After the orientation, Marti and I drove around some of the areas on Thurmond Lake to familiarize ourselves with the facilities.

The dam creates the lake with water from the Savannah River.  The lake side,

and the down river side.

The dam also generates electricity.  There is a huge electrical grid to deliver the juice to surrounding cities and towns.

There are some really nice beaches,

and the COE even provides loaner life jackets. 

Marti and I have been bouncing back and forth our thoughts on which jobs we’d like to take on.  No matter what, the rangers are thrilled to have volunteers helping run and maintain the area.  Last fiscal year, volunteers saved this COE area $421,000.  Nice to see a government program that actually saves the taxpayers money. :c)

We’ll know by Monday what jobs we’ll be doing.  The jobs are all interesting and no matter what we do, it will be fun and worth doing.

In the mean time, we’re enjoying some wonderful weather and fantastic sunsets.  :c)

Thanks for visiting and feel free to leave a comment.

No We Don’t Have To Clean Bathrooms

Hopefully the title answers the questions I was asked from yesterday’s post on our workamping job here at the J. Strom Thurmond Army COE recreation area.  The COE actually contracts out the bathroom maintenance to a cleaning service.

But not to worry, there are plenty of other jobs for us to participate in, except for the whole government shutdown thing.  This morning we and all the other workampers met with the head ranger.

He told us we could stay, but we were not going to be allowed to work until further notice.  Then he left because he was being furloughed.

Then later this evening word was being filtered around that now we were going to be able to start working.  Since that came not officially, I think tomorrow we’ll be able to get some reliable info, one way or another.

In the mean time, the COE is really happy to have volunteers working here and the COE staff goes out of its way to ensure we’re well taken care of.

One thing they have here at the volunteer village is this unassuming building.

The building is the recreation hall for the volunteers.  One of the first things I noticed was this on the side of the building.

It is the antennas for the blazing fast free WiFi for the volunteer village.

Inside the rec hall is some very comfy furniture, a fireplace and satellite TV.

At first we wondered why there was this gym equipment here, but after two pot luck dinners in two nights, the reason has become clear.

Along with large tables for eating and game playing, it has a full kitchen for the volunteer’s use.

Also, a nice laundry room with free washers and dryers,

as well as a bathroom complete with a nice large shower.

Okay, this is the one bathroom we’ll pitch in to help keep clean. ;c)

We’ll see what tomorrow brings and if we can start “earning our keep”.

Thanks for visiting and feel free to leave a comment.