I got an e-mail from a blog reader who is shopping for a new motorhome, asking me how important we felt our built-in vacuum cleaner is, because the salesman is telling them that RVers consider this an essential item. I guess they’re still too green to know that if an RV salesman’s lips are moving, he’s lying.
The only reason our coach has the onboard vacuum is because Winnebago built it in when the rig was new. We have carpeting in our living room and bedroom, and 9 times out of 10, when Miss Terry needs to clean something up, she reaches for her handheld Dyson DC31 Vacuum instead. It’s lightweight, sturdy, powerful, and versatile, and is much easier to get out and use than dragging out the hose for the onboard vacuum.
Our MCI bus conversion didn’t have any slide-out rooms, but ever since we got our Winnebago Ultimate Advantage, I have been collecting an assortment of scars and dents in my head from running into the bedroom slide. A couple of times I have hit it so hard that I knocked myself on the ground. Miss Terry got tired of patching me up and listening to my sniveling, so yesterday she bought one of those plastic pool noodles that kids use to keep themselves afloat, and cut it into short sections, then split them open lengthwise. They slip right over the corners of the slide, and will hopefully stop me from bashing my original equipment noodle.
I got an e-mail yesterday from a blog reader in Nashville with this link to a couple of moving You Tube videos about the terrible flooding there. Ken reports that the Nashville KOA, which took the brunt of the storm, is closed. Everything at the KOA was underwater, including their office and store. The Yogi Bear Jellystone Campground also suffered some damage, but is up and running. Two Rivers Campground is high and dry, with no damage. Ken said the Nashville Camping World is also undamaged and open for business. If you are an RVer who feels the need to give something back to society, I’m sure there are plenty of folks in Nashville who need a hand right now, whether in the form of a donation check, or another pair of strong hands to help clean up the mess.
I’m an old car guy (that’s old car guy, not old car guy), and the fellow in the site next to us here at Happy Days Campground has this beautiful old 1951 Buick Roadmaster police car. How cool is that?
I was admiring the car yesterday, and he told me that he is a volunteer with the Apache Junction Police Department, and he spotted the old car sitting in the back of the department parking lot soon after he started. The sergeant said it hadn’t been started in years, so our neighbor took it upon himself to get it running again. He spent a month getting the old police cruiser roadworthy again, and now the police department uses it as a DARE car, in parades and at car shows, to spread the word that crime doesn’t pay.
It’s getting hot here in the desert, with temperatures predicted in the upper 90s the next few days, and higher after that. We are enjoying our stay at Happy Days, and we have a great RV site, but we don’t like excessive heat almost as much as we don’t like cold. We will stay here through the weekend, and then head back up to Show Low on Monday, where daughter Tiffany tells me it has stopped snowing, and is very pleasant.
Bad Nick has been too quiet the last few days, but never fear, the little imp is back again, with a new Bad Nick Blog titled Potpourri. Check it out and leave a comment.
Thought For The Day – A man’s reach should exceed his grasp.
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Nick Russell
World-Famous, New York Times Best Selling Author, and All-Around Nice Guy!
Those slideout corners can be tough, all right! Terry really used her “noodle” to help protect you. I wouldn’t have thought, however, that you were tall enough to make contact with the corners!
Hey Nick, I can understand how that would hurt your head,but the fall shouldn’t hurt from your distance (sorry couldn’t resist). The other day you wrote about changing out your carpet for a type of laminant flooring and Deb & I have done just that in our Truck Conversion to the new Allure (brand name) from Home Depot. I wanted to try it for awhile before I told you about it, but we really love it! It is somewhat textured and really good quality and a wide range of colors instead of trying to match woodgrains. VERY easy to lay as it has adhesive sides that bond together,not to the floor so it floats like laminant, and easy clean-up. Just our opinion. Thanks, Russ & Debbie (class of 2010 Full Timers)
Nick,
I feel your pain. I kept hitting my head on the mirrors so we wrap the arms in a section of swimming pool noodle. Good Bad Nick blog today — as usual.
For me putting in the central vacuum system was a great idea. I was tired of carrying around my huge vacuum especially when we got ready to travel, it was to big to put in the closet and well the bins are full of Mike’s stuff. We bought ours at the Gypsy Gathering in Casa Grande a few years ago. I do agree with Terry it can be a pain to drag out the hose to clean up small areas. I forgot to congratulate Nick on getting his new IPad. We have looked at them but we cannot see getting one since our computers do most of the things it does. We both have Kindles and we love them, sure save on space in the RV.
Thanks for the memories with the old Buick. My grandfather’s was a ’56, midnight blue and it had a built-in metal tissue box holder right under the dash. That metal holder made a nasty cut above my eye as a tyke when Papa had to slam his brakes on. (No foam noodles back then!) I still carry that scar today and especially miss my Papa each time I notice it. Grandparents are God’s gift to children.