PROLOGUE
Just exactly what day we started getting ready for our annual trip is hard to remember. The coach had been taken to Channelview Supply, in Houston, for work on the generator, front furnace and the ice maker. I had forgotten that we also needed to replace the closet slide cover because I hadn’t written it down. We had also asked for a roof inspection as the coach is now ten years old and we want to anticipate problems before they arise. Channelview had kept the coach a few days. When we went back to get it we were told the roof needed to be re-caulked, a job requiring about $100.00 worth of material and several hundred dollars of labor. We bought the material as well as some new supports for a couple of basement doors. The driver opted to do the work himself re-caulking the roof and replacing the door supports. The navigator also got a few items she thought would help her in the coach and as usual she made wise choices. Time would show the drainer she bought for the sink, it fit perfectly, saved her time and water, in the kitchen. The usual chemicals to treat the holding tanks were purchased also.
From Channelview the coach was taken to Cummins South Plains where instructions were given to give it the spring service, oil change and filters along with fuel filters, lube the chassis and change the air filter if needed. Also check the belts and hoses for signs of wear. Avoiding a breakdown on the Al-Can is most desirable. We thought we would wait for the service to be completed, a couple of hours and then drive home towing the Subaru. An hour into the service the tech came out and advised the exhaust manifold was cracked and needed to be replaced. We should go ahead and drive home. They would call when the coach was ready but before we left we should know that the air compressor was bad. The navigator asked if it was an important piece of the engine and I told her it wasn’t really. All it does is provide air pressure to operate the brakes and stop the coach. Actually the coach won’t move without the air compressor as the brakes lock in absence of air pressure. This is a safety measure. If one loses air pressure springs in the brake system will actuate the brakes and stop the coach. One can’t even move the coach with low air pressure in the brake system. We told them to fix/replace the compressor. They advised they would have to get one, two to three days, and then install it, a few hours but the good news was it was covered by warranty. The manifold was not.
We went home but not to wait.
May 16th came, the day friends and family celebrate the birth of our good friend, Jim Johnson. The day before, Sunday, we had invited him and his wife, Polly, to join us for dinner on this day.
We picked them up at their house and drove to Conroe and Chuy’s where enjoyed a good meal and great fellowship. Later we drove them home and went in for a piece of chocolate pie with chocolate chips in it, Polly’s creation, and a little more visiting. The pie was absolutely delicious.
A few trips to the doctors were still to be made to complete our own spring checkups. The yard beckoned and there was work to be done in the house. Additionally the stands at the deer lease needed some work before we left them for the summer. We also wanted to visit friends and family before leaving and now we were getting into May and eying May 23rd, our projected leave date, on the calendar.
When Cummins called we retrieved the coach and drove it home. On the way I noticed the volt meter on the dash was reading about 12 instead of its normal 13.5.
At home the coach was connected to our 50 amp power supply and the driver started work on servicing the Generac generator, oil change and oil, fuel and air filter change. Lacking a new air filter he got the local auto supply to order one and concentrated on removing old insulation around the entry door and installing new. Then he talked to Yokohama Tire about optimum tire pressure as he felt what he was running was excessive, it had been recommended by the tire dealer, and when they had calculated the pressure he adjusted accordingly. The new door supports were put on the back door to the electric access, with no problem. When the supports were remove from the front basement door it was discovered that one of the new ones was half an inch too long. Several days later after much thought and some modification those supports were successfully installed. In the meantime the air filter for the generator came in and was picked up and installed. When the generator was run to check for oil leaks the belt connecting the diesel engine and the generator itself came off. After an hour trying to reinstall it the driver examined it closely and discovered it had come off because it was well worn. He called Channelview to order a new one and tell them he was pressed for time and would like it installed while he waited. They agreed to do that the following Monday, perhaps May 12th.
The Marlin was waiting in the reception area when they opened at nine that morning. Two and a half hours later the generator was running great and putting out a full charge. The generator has to be removed to install the belt thanks to engineers who never have to work on what they design.
The driver squared up for the service and parts then headed to Cummins South Plains. He had told them about the indication of low voltage from the alternator and wanted them to check it out. Again they agreed to do it while he waited. An hour and a half was required for the tech to check things out and tell the driver the alternator was working just fine the problem was a defective gauge that should be replaced when we return from our summer trip.
Driving home the driver was still concerned about the indicated low voltage but having the tech’s reassurances he tried not to look at the gauge and put any concerns out of mind.
At home the coach was put on the drive where interior and exterior cleaning began in earnest. While the navigator cleaned from top to bottom inside the driver, with her help washed the Marlin, then he re-caulked the roof, compounded it and finally waxed it while she labored inside. Then he worked on the front and back cap of the coach as well as check out the jacks and fluid level in the hydraulic pump, clean the tires, service the batteries one more time, fill the windshield washer reservoir and clean and Rain-X the windshield and side windows. When asked his good friend, Jim Johnson, came down and helped but much of the work was a one man job. Jim had helped with the door supports lending his experience, hands, back and moral support before that job was completed.
We were getting down to Thursday before we were to leave on Monday. Onie had loaded a few clothes and some kitchen items but now we went into high gear. She cleaned out the fridge in the house and unplugged it. The pantry was raided for items not available in Alaska and those items went to the Marlin. Furniture in the house was covered and floors cleaned for one last time. Play clothes and dress clothes were laid out, carried to the coach and hung up or stored in drawers and cabinets.
Friday we moved into the coach and continued our work but we had slept our last night on the waterbed until we return. Over the next few days the heater was unplugged. Televisions and radios as well as computers were shut down and unplugged. Left plugged in they draw sixty percent of the power they use while on, according to our electric company. The air conditioning thermostat was advanced to eighty two. Supplies for our fish and written instructions for their care were placed on the table next to them. The office was shut down. Rocking chairs from the porch were cleaned and brought in. The shop was cleaned out and shut down. The water well and reservoir were checked. The smoker that had been used to cook two briskets was cleaned and stored until it was needed again. Carrots, about five or six pounds, were harvested from our garden, cleaned and packaged for the road. Onions were also harvested. Somewhere in the melee we managed to smoke and vacuum pack two batches of fish. One we gave away and the other we froze for ourselves. Then we cleaned that smoker and stored it against our return. Frozen items, fish, chickens, pheasants, clams, vegetables and other things were removed from the house freezer and put in the one in the coach.
By Sunday we thought we were getting things under control but Onie opted to stay home from church to tidy up a bit and get ready for our daughter, Clair, and her friend, Garnett, who were coming up after noon. The driver went to church to teach a Sunday school class, for a friend, and stayed for church when the choir sang special music. That would be the last time he sang in the choir until October.
At Lake Road Onie had prepared cabbage slaw, sweet potato fries and the driver brought fried chicken from the local grocery store, Brookshire Brothers.
After lunch Clair and Garnett helped the driver load the Subaru with empty jars for canning, canned fruit from our sister-in-law, Patty, and her husband, Carl, in Louisiana, chairs, a cooler, fishing supplies and various other things.
A couple of storage boxes for the coach basement were sealed and readied for loading. As the day grew long Clair and Garnett headed home. The ride on the bike would be cool. Onie and I finished loading the coach. At ten o’clock she said goodnight and went to bed. A few more chores were tended to in my office and I joined her at midnight.
Through the days and weeks leading up to our departure, through our comings and goings and through our work days our little niche of the world bloomed.
The Rose of Sharon, which grows close to the garage and near some birdhouses, was blooming.
The Magnolia tree had beautiful flowers all day long.
In the evening the Four O Clocks showed their colors
In the morning we were greeted by the Easter lily
During the day, when taking a break from work we harvested the rest of the vegetables from our garden, carrots and onions.
Gardenias bloomed wherever a bush happened to be, spreading their fragrance throughout our little acre. Honeysuckle at the front gate attracted Hummingbirds that also fed at the feeders outside Onie’s kitchen window. Oleanders near the honeysuckle added their pinks to the orange and black of the Tiger Lily
and the recently transplanted Calla Lilies showed new blooms while the Amaryllis bulbs that had been separated and moved failed to bloom, perhaps later this summer they will show their colors.
Some of the Amaryllis did not get moved and those put on their blooms of red and white stripes while others were blood red.
Through it all, standing in the navigator’s cactus garden, the garden gnomes stood watch.
