I admit that I have fallen down on my commitment to send out a “Blog” from time to time and let you know where we are and what we are doing. These were frequently spawned by an “event” that usually started with me muttering under my breath, “I feel a blog coming on.”
So here is a short synopsis of 2021: We traveled north to Washington State in late April 2021. We visited Holly in Newman Lake, Washington, Took in a single Bluegrass Festival in early June, 2021. Visited some friends on the way through and arrived at our Son and Daughter-in-laws’ place in Seabeck, Washington on July 18, 2021. We spent some time looking for property in Washington, but the housing balloon was growing fiercely and we couldn’t make any headway. We spent a week on Audrey II, Glen and Barbs’ 37.5 foot Hunter, sail boat from July 27 2021 to August 6, 2021. The rest of the summer was spent between Sequim,WA., Seabeck, WA. And the Portland, OR area visiting friends and relatives. (1)
In early November we put the rig on the road to Texas once again. We arrived on October 15, 2021. We are mostly hiding out from the “Co-Vid 19” Pandemic for a year and a half.
(1) Genaveve Starr and Karl Stokke, in Sequim, Wa; Ed and Sarah Daugherty, Sue and Phil Owen, Mel and Charley Stowell in the Portland OR. Area; Camped with Dave and Adriene Schilling at Silver Falls State Park; and bid, “Bon Voyage” to Bill and Kitty Bates as they sold their farm in Grand Ronde OR, and started the “Wandering Lifestyle”.
Gary and Judy enjoy hiking in Silver Falls State Park.
Gary contemplates a Maple Bar Man at the Poulsboe Bakery.
That catches us up to January 2022.
December and January were busy months for us. I did two Physical Therapy series. One to address my increasing struggle with Parkinson’s disease with posture, stiffness, tremor and dyskinesia, which makes me look like I am struggling with some invisible Python. The other was to address my soft fuzzy voice. We replaced Judy’s hearing aids but that wasn’t much help. I learned to “Speak with Intensity.”
“God willin’ and the creeks don’t rise, I will go under the Brain Surgeons scalpel, or maybe more like a Dremmel tool, to rasp a pair of holes in my skull. I will get a pair of electrodes and a control module much like a heart pace-maker under my clavicle bone in my left shoulder. We are hoping to get better control of Parky and reduce the 30 or so pills I take daily. This operation is called “Deep Brain Stimulation,” “DBS.”
I will be following in the footsteps of Louis Wu of the Larry Niven Science Fiction Novels, “Ringworld”, (1970)” and “Ringworld Engineers” (1979). I consider these two books to be tra;ning manuals for me. The principle character in the two novels is Louis Wu, a 200 year old “Spacer” at the start of “Ringworld.” Nine years later we meet Louis Wu” again as a “Wirehead” in “Ringworld Engineers.” If you haven’t the time, or inclination to read the books you can get an idea what they are about in Wikipedia,org.
Right now I need to quit this, and book another doctor’s appointment, for next week.
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:
Using the “Selfie” camera to document and rewire the new alternator.
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.
I had to keep detailed notes of the alternator as I disassembled it so I could be sure and put it back together.
I took many photos to document each wire.
I had a wiring diagram from Western Recreation, and traced out most of the circuits.
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.
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.
What can I say? This is two days after finishing the Folding Desk Project. We were off riding our Trikes around North Ranches Streets with names like Meandering and Wandering and Running Bare, or is it Running Bear. Before we can get to our campsite neighboring RV’ers are gathering around us chattering about a flying tent. The story that we ferreted out includes a miniature tornado called a Dust Devil. Our tent sailed over our rig and two others before coming to rest between two rigs. People in that area of the campground worked together to gather the crumpled tent and walk the pile around the campground and over behind our campsite, no 73.
When we got back this is what we saw.
It was a bran-new shade tent. It had stood up to the blustery winds for two days. I had staked it to the ground on all four corners. When it departed it pulled up one 16” spike driven into hard packed gravel. It tore off two tie-down straps on the canopy itself. The fourth bent up the frame big time and apparently broke free of the stake. All of this without disturbing anything on the picnic table or in the bicycle trailer.
These tie-down straps were holding the canopy at two of the corners.
I had another of those “I feel a blog coming on,” days this week and I just Yesterday finished rebuilding my closet door from a smack-down with the potty room door. Potty room door won that match and the Wardrobe got its inner rail seams broken. A little glue, a couple clamps, one night on the rack and the door is as good as new. I am all caught up with repairs.
That very evening just a week ago I lost my balance and sat down suddenly on the edge of the folding desk, (just behind the passenger seat.)
It gracefully slid the computer and me onto the floor leaving splintered wood behind. Thankfully I slid to a stop before I took out my Guitar hanging on a rack nearby. Let me show you the aftermath in photos:
It’s not as bad as it looks. We do need a stronger joint.
Measuring the ripped out puzzle piece with the mating hole.
This is the stack of parts. There is just the one broken end of the Computer desk. The broken piece is intact and in one piece, like a giant jig-saw-puzzle piece. I laced the fangs into the respected hollows with glue, strong backs and lots off clamps. I set it aside to dry over night.
in this photo. I am disconnecting the gas struts and the piano hinge.
This is the hinged top/outside corner of the desk when stowed, When the desk is deployed it is the end of the desk the part that is hinged to the wall mounted stationary part of the desk.
This is where the failure occurred. In the photo below is the answer, “bolts”. The desk had 5 Kreg screws and glue to hold the load. The replacement bolts are called barrel cabinet fasteners . I bought the longest ones, about 2 3/4″ x 1/4″. I used six of them to replace 5 screws. I should be able to tap dance on the desk now. (As if Judy would let me.)
The barrel is seated in a blind, square bottomed hole. Total cost was about $40 including a set of Forestner bits, to drill the flat bottomed holes.
These 1/4 inch barrel cabinet fasteners will step beyond the denominated plywood and spread the stress into undamaged wood.The exposed head of the fasteners are quite decorative. they remind me of the buttons put on park benches to keep the skateboarders at bayRebuilt Desk, Note Testing the idea of a temporary leg under the back corner.
I finished the project 2 days ago. It has taken me longer to write the blog than it took to repair the damage.
Meanwhile we are hunkered down in Camp site 73 in the North Ranch Escapee Park in Congress, AZ. They are predicting our first 100 degree day this week. We are exercizing morning and evenings, two mile walk in the morning and a 3 of 4 mile Trike Criterium around the paved streets of the park, just before dark each evening.
We will stay put here until it is safe to be out in pubic.
I confess I’ve been a little lax in creating blogs recently. I have been working on a very large project to revise the water purification system and the motor home. At the conclusion of the project. The pump that supplies pressure to the water system of the coach quit working.
These relays are very small and can be hidden under vanities, behind studs or in void spaces.
Of course I did a bunch of troubleshooting, even enlisted Neil to help me. I finally decided that it was time to create a power source for the pump that included a relay. After several days of routing wires through the cupboards of the coach and hooking everything up, came the time for testing. I hit the “on” switch and nothing happened . I’m beginning to sweat a little, my handyman reputation is at stake. I pulled the cover on the strainer at the section of the pump and discovered that the section line was completely dry. Now there was water in the tank, but it wasn’t getting through the check valve. Logical conclusion: Check valve is plugged. Logical response: Remove, check valve. So I revised the inlet piping to eliminate the check valve. With my confidence renewed. I hit the on switch. Nothing happened. Now I’m really beginning to sweat. As handyman, I could be replaced, you know.
I think I do my best work. I’m asleep at night. The next morning I had a brilliant thought. We had been supplementing our water from the Tice’s house. The pressure from the hose could be keeping the pump from filling with water by blocking black pressure from the system. I walked over to the big house and turned off the water. You know it’s a little hard to flip the “on” switch with all your fingers crossed, but I managed to do it. Yes, it worked. Now I have to decide whether to put the check valve back in or not. I guess not.
The Sage Says: “What is the lesson to be learned here? It’s very possible to over analyze a problem. Occasionally you need to step back and look for the simple solution.”
Meanwhile, I will finish the two big projects I’m working on. The first is the adventures of the Abby Normal. The second is a detailed description of my new water system.
