It’s a good thing that we don’t spend more time with Terry’s cousin Carolyn and her husband Mel because it’s really hard on my waistline. Yesterday, Carolyn made Mel a chocolate cake, and I just could not in good conscience let him do to his skinny little body what I’ve done to mine, so I helped him eat a goodly portion of it. Hey, with me the damage has already been done, and besides, what are friends for, right? Don’t worry about it Mel, let her keep right on baking. I’ve got your back.
I mentioned in yesterday’s blog that we saw a very nice 38 foot 2001 Winnebago Ultimate Advantage diesel pusher at a local dealer over the weekend, and yesterday we went back and took it for a test drive.
Wow! We were impressed! Heck, let’s be honest, we fell in love! We’ve looked at a lot of very nice RVs over the years, and several that we could be comfortable in, but this one really stood out. It just screamed “Buy me!” My Dad used to say, “When something is right, you just feel it,” and this feels right to us.
It handles like a dream, has a ton of upgrades, rides great, and would work just fine for our needs. I had never driven a rig with the 330 horsepower Cat engine in it before, and I was really amazed at how well it got up to speed coming onto the freeway. Miss Terry also took a turn behind the wheel, and was very pleased with the way it drove.
They made us a very good offer, and we are going to look long and hard at putting a deal together. Several things would all have to click at once, including the sale of our bus to a person who has expressed a strong interest in it. So we’re not there yet, but if the stars all align just right, we just may be able to pull it off. Wish us luck.
Some of you may remember my April 23rd blog, in which I wrote about an RVer who had a headlight out on his pickup truck while we were in Albuquerque for the Affinity rally. He stopped at an auto parts store to buy a replacement light, and on the way back to the fairgrounds a policeman pulled him over and, after asking him several times if he knew he had a headlight out, which he acknowledged, and showed the officer the replacement light. The officer then gave him a summons, and told him that if he had said he did not know the light was out, he’d have only received a warning instead of a ticket. As I wrote in the blog about the incident, I really didn’t feel that was right.
The other day I got an e-mail from the gentleman who received the ticket, telling me that he was so upset he hung around and went to court to fight it, and won. He said the judge told the officer that he was sure the local police had better things to do that bait honest citizens into admitting guilt to a minor infraction, and then giving them a ticket for it.
I’m usually a very strong supporter of law enforcement. I come from a family full of cops. But this time around I have to agree with the judge. I think justice was served.
Thought For The Day – Middle age is not user friendly.
Nick Russell
World-Famous, New York Times Best Selling Author, and All-Around Nice Guy!
Ok, let me get this picture right. 2 years ago you raised your subscripton rates because you said postage went up. Now you don’t make the electric paper cheaper even though it don’t cost you a thing to mail out. You won’t give a person on a fixed income a discount. You charge a fortune for your rallies. Yet you can go shopping for a fancy diesel RV????? Something is rotten in Denmark! It must be nice to get rich off other people and have them pay for your new toys!
Richard,
What is it with you?! It should be obvious to you by now that you are clearly outnumbered by the many people who enjoy Nick, his blog, his rallies and everything he does for the RV community…. and he is NOT getting rich off of anybody!! It should be just as obvious that we’re really fed up with your ridiculous attacks on Nick. Why don’t you find somebody else to pick on for a while and give the rest of us a break!
Better yet — try to find something fun and enjoyable in your life. You must be a very unhappy person.
Nick,
This guy doesn’t deserve a response from you. My fingers are crossed that the deal will work out for you and Terry for your coach.
Judy
Oh Richard:
You are about to become the most disliked reader of Nick’s blog. You said: “It must be nice to get rich off other people and have them pay for your new toys!”
What is your definition of “rich”?
When the Mom and Pop owners of our local bakery bought a new pickup truck with leather, full power and air, no one in our community wrote a letter to the editor whining about how they were getting rich off of those of us who buy sweet rolls and coffee cakes.
Richard, it is called Free Enterprise. Wow you must be mad at just about everybody who earns a living by selling stuff to you. The fact that you live on a fixed income has no bearing on the price Nick wants to charge. You can read Nick’s daily blog for free. So stop acting like a child who didn’t get his way. Suck it up man.
You tell ’em, Dickie Boy.
We ain’t gonna let those fat cat rich newspaper guys get away with spending our money.
Some nerve of Nick in buying a used diesel pusher. Now I’ve heard everything.
Dick,
Misery loves company, I always say — and you sound pretty miserable. But perhaps you feel better now that you got that off of your chest.
Oh Richard:
You are about to become the most disliked reader of Nick’s blog. You said: “It must be nice to get rich off other people and have them pay for your new toys!”
What is your definition of “rich”?
When the Mom and Pop owners of our local bakery bought a new pickup truck with leather, full power and air, no one in our community wrote a letter to the editor whining about how they were getting rich off of those of us who buy sweet rolls and coffee cakes.
Richard, it is called Free Enterprise. Wow you must be mad at just about everybody who earns a living by selling stuff to you. The fact that you live on a fixed income has no bearing on the price Nick wants to charge. You can read Nick’s daily blog for free. So stop acting like a child who didn’t get his way. Suck it up man.
Okay, let me get this picture right. Why does the writer of the first comment even bother to read Nick’s Blog if it upsets him? There are just some people who are so unhappy with themselves they cannot stand to see others succeed and achieve any personal happiness. No amount of explanation would ever reach someone so totally out of touch with publishing, electronic or print, much less just good business sense.
The answer lies in becoming happy with living in your own skin, and to appreciate a couintry in which we all can live and let live. Nick’s Gypsy Journal may not be for each person, nor is Playboy. Let’s just all be thankful Nick is successful, happy and not on a centerfold within the Gypsy Journal.
Life is not tied with a big bow, but it is the best gift we all ever receive. What we each do with it is up to us. No one is responisble of your happiness except you.
Charles Henry
Hey DeShane aren’t you getting a bit tired of “grinding that ax”? If I send you the price of the subscription will you please shut up?
Nick, I recently renewed my subscription for the online version, I see the value in it, I think you should be able to make a profit for your efforts and YES you certainly can replace your older bus with a “new to you” used one. I think that is called living life. This guy needs to find one. As Howard would say, Geeeeeshhhhhh!
Keep up the good work, Nick!
Safe travels. Hope you can put this deal together.
Nick & Terry
We hope that the right deal will come through for you, and as you say if it works out than so be it and we a happy for you.
As for Shameful ( or what ever) this is another prime example of; “You can give some people a thousand dollar bill and they will complain that it’s green”
Well, that is about the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard! I bet if you lived in a sticks and bricks, you wouldn’t be persecuted for making a living and using those funds to buy new carpet etc. This guy would fit very well in Obama’s cabinet – work hard and give all your money to free loaders! He probably thinks it’s legal to evade taxes too!
Well, the first voter was an idiot, the next three said it just right! Mr. DeShane should take a long walk on a short pier.
We hope you’ll get that 2001 Ultimate Advantage! We love our 2001 Itasca Suncruiser (also built by Winnebago) even though it’s a gas version. Get that Winnie and we’ll meet you at the Winnebago Grand National Rally in Forest City some day!
Nick et al – This DeShane character’s comments are so ludicrous I think he is just yanking your chains. He cannot be serious; must be joking. He is pretty funny.
Anyway, congrats on the potential new rig. We bought our motor home just because it felt “Right” when we stepped in. We had not even considered motor homes, were in 5er mode. We saw this one literally sitting in the back row of the used rigs an on a whim stepped inside. Now it is ours and we could not be happier. Good luck with yours.
I’m real glad the guy who got the ticket decided to stick around and fight it. “Good on him” and “Good on the judge.” Shame on the cop.
Good luck on the UA. You would be amazed at the ease that it goes up the hills – without overheating. It would be such a change from your current rig.
I sure hope all the stars align for you two! I don’t even know you (other than reading your blog), but feel in my heart that you two deserve a new home.
OMG!! Has Mr. DeShane lost his mind?? How DARE he question your buying another RV! That is NOT his business. And if he thinks your subscription rates are too high, then he shouldn’t subscribe. But, I would ask him where else he can get a TWO YEAR subscription to any periodical for just $35????
And as to the cost of your rallies – Mr. DeShane, how many rallies have you attended? Obviously, not many! The Gypsy Journal Gathering is the least expensive out there and you still get the biggest bang for your buck. Try going to the Good Sam National Rally for $100. The Escapees Escapade next month cost a little more than $200!
Nick, we are so glad that you don’t let people like Mr. DeShane get to you. You and Terry do a great job of sharing RV info, places to see, and things to do.
Good luck on the new-to-you RV! We’ll see you in Sedalia!
Got our fingers crossed for you Nick and Terry. GET THAT WINNIE! You’ll love it. But it still must be hard to let go of all that beautiful work Terry did on the inside. Best of Luck.
Claire and Chuck
Richard,
You are one of those people who will not pay for a paper but will take not one but two when you find them for free. Shame on you.
I would say you make RVers look bad but NO you are in a class all your own.
Deshane ,you don’t say what kind of fixed income you are on,do you even deserve it ?
Why doesn’t nick deserve to upgrade? he is still working ! Your playing the class envy card that is dividing this country. People are in the position they are from the choices they make. Crybabies play the victim,no you don’t deserve special treatment or a special price ! grow a pair !
All I can say is that Mr. DeShane must be one bitter old man. As for your adventure in finding a new home I wish you the best of luck and good fortune.
I have remarked before to Nick, regarding the professionalism, work ethic, and just plain hard work that is apparent in the Nick Russell, Gypsy Journal, Brand. It is time consuming and takes great organization and observational skills to consistently put together a Blog everyday. Like the columnist in a daily paper, you have the topical ideas and responses and the filler ideas for the slow days, but it all works and you produce a Blog each day. The constant researching and updating of your resource materials goes unnoticed by most. While others are relaxing in their lounge chairs you and Terry are out dropping off more newspapers to new campgrounds or you are on line responding to Forum requests for information. I know that you enjoy most of the places you visit and research but it is still work to walk through every tourist spot and keep thinking, “Do I have a good picture for that?”, “What will the readers find most interesting?” And regarding Rallies…. Having planned events at our local campground, I have a fair idea of the $$$ that go out. Each building comes with a cost, and each electrical hook up rings in $$$. You are a marketer and a good one but your kind of advertising is grass roots and labor intensive….. Enjoy every hard earned penny you can find……Hope to see you again in Ohio!
Hey Richard, remember me? I’m the guy you bought the barbecue gril and catalytic heater from at the RV park in Florida, who gave you a discount because you were on that fixed income. In fact, you couldn’t pay me because you were waiting for your direct deposit. Apparently your income is not fixed bcause you never paid me. But it was interesting that I saw you at the Wal-Mart the next day buying “refreshments.” Did they give you a discount because of your fixed income? Apparently not, because I’m still waiting for the money you were going to bring by my rig before you left. Those must have been really good “refreshments” because when you left the park you completly forgot to stop by and pay me like you promised. But hey, its only been a little over six months. I’m sure that direct deposit will get posted real soon and I’ll be hearing from you, right?
[I’ve put Richard on “ignore”. Maybe the rest should too].
Congratulations on finding your new rig. Hope the other half of the deal works well for you. We recently changed rigs sooner than we had planned because we found one that called our names. My question for the two of you now is: Since Terry doesn’t have to re-build the interior, are you, Nick, her next “make-over” project? If so, make sure part of “Bad Nick” stays — he keeps us all laughing and doing things we wished we had the courage to do.
Judy
Best of luck putting your deal together. Hope to see smiling faces in the new rig soon.
Richard, do you remember the long talk we had last year at the solos gathering in Quartzsite about your attitude? Obviously I wasted my breath. Here is a perfect example of why you are always alone and unhappy. Nick would not give you his products, so you have made it your goal in life to piss and moan about it. Just like last year when you were mad that the Flying J made you move after you stayed there over a week. Get over yourself! The world DOES NOT owe you a thing!
I’ve never responded to a blog before but Im so mad right now I cant let this go without writing.
Richard do you even know Nick and Terry? I don’t think so because if you did you would know they are the salt of the earth. Were you following them when Terry almost died from cancer and they were totally wiped out financially? I mean not one dollar – not one dime – not one nickle. It would have been easy to go on disability and just stop trying. But they never gave up. They picked up the pieces and bought that old rattle trap bus and built it into a very nice home for themselves. I remember Terry telling me it was their buckboard because every time they got an extra buck they bought another board to keep on building.
Have you ever talked to the many people Nick and Terry have encouraged to follow their dreams? Do you know how many people they have personally helped out one way or another? Sometimes with their time, sometimes with their advice, sometimes with their labor? Do you know how much of their product (read money) they give away every year as door prizes to RV rallies all over the country even if they dont go to the rallies themselves? Do you know how many sick discouraged people (myself included) they have given their words of comfort and love to? Have you seen one of the pocket angels Terry gives away to sick people? I still carry mine in my pocket every day.
Do you know that back in the hard days after Terry got sick their were times they were so broke they could not buy fuel to travel? But they did not stop, they did not whine and say gimme gimme. They did not miss an issue, they found a way to continue. They are still trying hard to get buy and improve their life one little bit at a time and Im damn proud of them.
Have you ever been inside their bus and seen Nicks medals hanging on the wall in their bedroom? Do you know what a purple heart means? Do you know what THREE of them mean? Do you know what a bronze star means, or a silver star? I do. It means sacrifice. It means putting others in front of yourself at the very risk of your own life. Have you ever seen Nick wince from the pain when he walks because of the wound in his knee? Have you ever noticed the bullet hole in his arm or the scars on his hands? I have. I know where they came from. I know there are others. Thats why I call him brother when I see him.
I spent my career in the US Navy and I can tell that you are always a taker and a user, never a giver. So just shut up!
Hey Nick you get what you want, long asyou and Miss terry is happy
I am so excited for you! I know the feeling of having a rig just “talk” to you — that’s how we got this one!
I hope it all works out for you and your bus sells quickly!
Char
Hey Nick and Terry,
This has to really make you all feel very loved . I know just reading what people have wrote about you guys makes me proud to call you family but most of all proud to call you my friends. I love you guys.