Moving Day:

Yesterday, (Sunday,) we changed campgrounds in the same area of the Lake Mead National Recreation Area. We were needing to dump tanks and take on water. Dry camping at Las Vegas Bay National Campground wouldn’t do. We had a lakefront spot reserved at the Lake Mead RV Village with full hook-ups. The sure recipe for roughing it smoothly. Besides it was only 9 miles away. I talked Judy into driving the coach and van separately.

Fighting a demon:

Yes, I blame Ole Parkey. More specifically a common debilitating effect of Parkinson’s Disease. It is dementia, and I am having to compensate for its effects daily. The good news is it is not the same as Alzheimer’s disease. It doesn’t wipe your slate clean. I have the most problems with short term memory. It’s best described by my all too common complaint that by the time I get “Google” up and running, I can’t remember what I was going to Google. I can bring up detailed instructions on how to wire up an alternator, but I have to have them printed out and pictures to keep me on track. I recently replaced the alternator on Arcturus, our 2001 Alpine Coach. There are two signal wires, the Key signal and the DuVac wire that goes directly to the battery. Then there are the two big wires, the Positive Lead and the Ground. I had photos of the back side of the alternator, where we could feel but not see. The as-is photos were taken with the front side camera of my cell phone. The reference photos were taken with the rear camera, (The selfie side).

Be honest with me. How many of you knew that selfie pictures are mirror images by default?

I wired the alternator back-words. Here is the photo:

Notice the clue, the words are mirror image and back-words for us to read. But I read the words just fine. A cultured skill developed over the years. It comes in handy when you are trying to read the paper on your boss’s or your customer’s desk, as you try to figure out what the bottom line is.

Returning to my story, Parkey, affected my alternator project five ways.

1. I had to keep detailed notes of the alternator as I disassembled it so I could be sure and put it back together.
2. I took many photos to document each wire.
3. I had a wiring diagram from Western Recreation, and traced out most of the circuits.
4. I assembled the backside wires before turning the alternator around to it’s final position. This compensated for my lack of dexterity and my reduced ability to touch an exact spot with a finger tip.
5. The final brick was the mirror image error. My friend Dave, and I finally got it right and it is now working just fine.

Parkey takes me for a ride:

Yesterday’s ride had just started when my cell phone lost contact with Judy. Knowing I cannot drive and attend to the cell phone at the same time. I slid the phone out of the dash cubby-hole just far enough to call​ out “O.K. Google, call Judy.” I must have touched the screen for shortly the lady from WAZE announced that I was to find a place to turn around. I failed to recognize that Parkey was jerking my chain. The insistence of the spokes-person finally eroded my confidence, and I spotted a viewpoint exit that promised an easy “U” turn.

I was expecting to be directed to make a left turn just before we passed the park we had just exited from. We passed that exit and started up the hill to the park entrance. Judy was in full panic mode, 500 feet behind me, because neither of us could get a cell phone connection. I am starting to panic when WAZE directed me to turn right, which i did. I immediately regretted this for I recognized the “Private Road, No Trespassing” that we had traversed a few days ago coming south from Ely NV. We were headed for US 83 North out of town. We got both rigs turned around and I hooked the Sprinter behind the Motor-home and the map program reset.

It’s a One Way Street:

I then bowed to the inevitable. Parky has won this round. I can no longer drive. The skills are still there. I can keep up with traffic, I can negotiate the curves and stay within the lines. I can no longer handle the mental traffic of keeping track of where I am, which way is north, where should the next turn be and which direction will I turn. I am also easily distracted and easy to confuse.

Now What?

We are daily making decisions about what our rig is going to look like in the future as we set up for our new “Snow Birds” life style. After 16 years and 5 months of what I call the Wandering life style we will be looking for a much smaller rig. Arcturus, our Western Recreation, Alpine will either get traded or reside at a semi-permanent address in Washington State. The Super “B” Van, should we get one, will make the 6000 mile annual migration trip to Texas and back each year. It can also make short week long sorties to regional Bluegrass or Dixieland festivals.

Gary’s Parkinson’s Song

You’re [I]fight_- ing a battle_ you know you can-not [V7]win__

But you have to keep on fight- ing_, you can’t let your- self give [I] in__

Why God gave you_ this battle_, you may not e- ver [IV]know__

Just keep your faith in [I]Je- sus_, hang [V7] on and don’t let [I]go___+__

Par- kin- son’s an ill- ness that keeps try- ing to knock you [V7]down__

You-must come-up off the can- vas_ to fight a- no- ther [I]round__

What- ever old Par- ki Throws at you_, you have to find a [IV] way__

To dodge the punch he throws [I]to you_, then [V7]get on with your [I] day__

It started as a tremor that con- tin- ued to get [V7]worse__

Things that once came easy__, now you had to [I]force__

What hurt the worst was music_, a big part of my [IV]life__

There’s times it’s hard to play or [I]sing,__ and it [V7]cuts me like a [I]knife__

Please [I]_help us with this bat-tle_ we pray one day to [V7]win__

We will keep on fight- ing_, we won’t let our- selves give [I] in__

God would have us join_ this battle_,that one day we might [IV]find__

The mir- acle that will [I]win this fight… and leave [V7]Park-in- son’s be- [I]hind…

Tag:

Pray, [I]help us with this battle.. that one day we might [V7]find__

The miracle that will win this fight… and leave Park- in- son’s be- [I]hind…

Pray, help us with this battle.. that one day we might [IV]find__

The miracle that will [I]win this fight… and leave [V7]Park- in- son’s- be- hind…_

I am working to get the song finished with a new backing track perhaps even a new melody. Credit to Joe Maggie for the lyrics.