Lets see............

Where do I begin? I guess I need to pickup from my last post where BIL James took our cargo trailer to his deer lease in West Texas. As I indicated he was going to use it for storage of deer corn and camo hunting gear. He also said he slept in it a couple of nights rather than at the motel in town. This allowed him to be at his stand before the crack of dawn. As to that deer with the perfect rack that he wanted to harvest he never saw it again to shoot. He did say that the Saturday evening he finally gave up on it returning to his hunting stand so he left the area. As luck would have it the trophy deer did return to his hunting stand that night as he got pictures of it with his game camera. I wish the film had better quality as I wanted to post a photo but it wasn't to be as there was too much distortion.

Our Thanksgiving was at Sandy’s sisters in Longview. Due to a bad stomach virus I did not make the trip into town. Instead I stayed at home and watched football. We would have gone to my sisters in Porter but her husband had open heart surgery the Friday before Thanksgiving. He had triple by pass and came through it in flying colors. In fact they released him the Saturday after Thanksgiving. He is slowly getting stronger each day and should go back to work hopefully after the first of the year.

December 21st I had a colonoscopy at VA in Shreveport. Those of you that have had this procedure know the prep for the procedure is relenting. Thank goodness I won't have to go through that three day liquid diet and cleansing for at least another two years as I got a clean bill of health from the doctor. The area where they took out some of my colon a year ago looked okay but they wanted the surgeon to view the film and I should hear back on it first of the year.

We had a little scare a couple days ago with our living room slide out. Sandy was busy in the kitchen making Christmas cookies and candy. I was watching TV and all of a sudden we hear the usual "five second delay" lady's voice that warns you about the pending slide out retracting or going out that everything should be clear and arms unlocked. I jumped up as Sandy was hollering hit the slide out button to stop the pending action. Fortunately I made it in time as the slide had retracted about two inches before I was able to stop it.

Can you imagine what would have happened had we not been home. Don't know what activated the switch. We hope this was just a fluke and it doesn't happen again. Will contact our RV dealer after the holidays to see what he might have to say about this. When we leave the motorhome, we will make sure everything in its path is clear until such time we get an answer to this mystery.

This brings us to Christmas Day where we had a big weather event. The system from the west that brought all the terrible weather for most of the US did its part in Lone Star. It started raining about 4am that morning and was the heaviest we've had so far this year. It rained hard all day and our yard looked like a lake as you can see in the photos.

By 5pm the rain turned to snow like no tomorrow. Hugh flakes started to fall and I told Sandy it probably won't stick because the ground was too wet. Well let me tell you before night fall it did start to stick and this morning the ground was covered with

about three inches of snow. It sure was beautiful to look at but it sure made things cold. Our low here last night was 23 degrees which froze our water hose. Fortunately we had our fresh water tank nearly full. Our high today is only going to be 31 degrees so it looks like this stuff just might hang around awhile.

We wish everybody a Blessed and Happy New Year.

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

Our Cargo Trailer Has Gone To BIL James Deer Lease In West Texas

When Sandy and I had our wood craft business we purchased a 8ft x 16ft Pace American Cargo trailer to haul our wood crafts and displays from one show to the next. We used it up until the time I retired 13 years ago. I built special shelving and a work table to build and assemble our wood crafts in addition to holding our inventory while traveling.

We pulled it behind our motorhome and sometimes our half ton Chevrolet pickup. When Sandy did Canton First Monday while I was still working she would haul the trailer behind the motorhome and park it behind our booth. After we retired and moved to Northeast Texas we converted its use to a storage trailer for our personal items and seasonal clothes. It remained this way up until this week where Sandy and I removed all our personal items to another storage building on the property.

Our reasoning for emptying the trailer was we gave it to BIL James who will use it on his deer lease in West Texas. He plans to store in it deer corn, winter camo outfits and other items related to the hunt.
He came over today and hooked it to his F-450 Ford Dually Truck. To our surprise after setting for 13 years all the lights on the  trailer worked fine. He put air in the tires, greased the wheel bearings and off he went.

James called about 5hrs later and said he made the trip without any problems. We had some concern with the tires as they might have been dry-rotted from the trailer just setting for the past thirteen years. I kept them covered and up on boards during this time and I'm sure that helped. After arriving he loaded it with the deer corn he thought he will need for next weeks hunt.

He's hoping that the large ten point buck he saw last week end will come around again as he says " this time I'll be ready for him". We hope he does as we love his venison sausage and chicken fried steaks. He uses a combination pork sausage and special spices for his sausage and I guarantee his chicken fried cutlets do not have that wild taste which is common with venison meat.

Oh…. the photo above was taken from the web and is shown for reference only. It did not look that good after 16 years.

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

Man Cave Finally Gets Electricity

BIL James has been real busy in the oil patch. So busy he hasn't had time to get his 200 amp main in and meter box for the electric company to bring their service drop and meter to the man cave. Well that has finally been accomplished. James had all his work done and his part of the owner requirements for the electrical hookup inspected and passed by the city inspector. Now it was just a matter of waiting on the electric company to come and place their service pole, change out the existing transformer to a larger one and hook up electricity to the man cave.

This past Wednesday about 11:30am three Bowie-Cass Electric company trucks, a cherry picker, a utility pole setting truck and a service/crew truck, pulled up next to the man cave. Being from the city I’ve never experienced this type of installation.The crew consisted of five guys and I've never in my life witness a precision team of workers perform their jobs as these guys. Each person had his specific area of responsibility and went about their duties like a well oiled machine. In a matter of 45 minutes they had changed out to a larger transformer, dug the hole for the service pole, set it and had their overhead power lines to the weather head on the side of the building and installed their meter.

Utility Pole Setting Truck

This not only lifted the utility pole  it also is equipped with an auger for the purpose of digging the hole for the pole. It has a level and plume gage on it that allows the person on the ground to make sure the hole is drilled correctly. It is also equipped with a air compressor and attachment for jack hammering the earth around the pole. I’m sure there are other features not demonstrated in this setting of the utility pole.

Here they are getting ready to dig the hole with the auger. They dug about five feet into the ground and after setting the pole they took the air hammer and packed the earth around the pole. You can see at the end of the boom there is a cradle that holds the utility pole upright.

While these guys were setting the pole a third began to prepare the weather head for the utility drop from the utility pole. The two guys, one in the cherry picker and the other used his pole climbing spikes changed out the transformer to a larger one.  They also prepared the utility drop for the service pole and weather head.

Witnessing this performance and the setting was quite an experience for me. These utility guys deserve a thumps up for a job well done. Their employer should be proud of their work habits. Now on to the task of setting up the man cave.

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

Remembering 9/11 and Part II Of The Cleaning and Waxing Mode

I don't know what got into me whether it was being inspired by The Shine Shop man, cooler weather or my knee feeling better but I got busy and detailed the Jeep Liberty. Like in the case of the motorhome I have used The Solution on it many times but decided to use Meguiar's Paste Wax. (click on pictures to enlarge)

I purchased a can of Meguiar's Ultimate Paste Wax new for 2012 and boy was it good. Little pricey around $23 but it went on easy and also hand buffed off easy. I used the applicator pad and micro-fiber rag that came with the kit.
What a difference it made too. Not only did it give a nice protective coating on the surface it also brought out the color and appeared to add a deeper gloss shine to the paint. It took me a little over two hours to do the complete exterior.

Next was to detail the interior which has been neglected on my part. Here we used a mixture of Murphy's Oil and water to clean the dash and door vinyl. Afterwards we applied the 303 to the dash and all vinyl surfaces. For the carpet and fabric seats we like the Turtle Wax or Tuff Stuff Upholstery cleaner shampoo.

While in the cleaning mode I also applied 303 Aerospace Protectant to all of my bay door gaskets. I used 303 to clean and protect the inside skin of the bay doors. I can truly say the addition of the RV port has made a big difference. Without the nice shade it provides from the direct sun most of the day these chores would have been a little tuff to do.

This Wednesday we will drop the Jeep off at a local Chrysler-Jeep dealer for the 70,000 mile tune up and 26 point safety check. I was kind a wanting to look at a 2012 Jeep Liberty but after getting the 06 all spiffed up and checked out we probably will hang on to it. Besides being on fixed income who in the world would want car payments again anyway.

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

Cleaning, Washing, Waxing and A Little Painting

While we were gone last week BIL James work crew painted all the support poles and trusses of the RV port. It sure looks nice. We have decided not to put the four foot panels on the South side instead we will use the panels to close out the eves at each end of the RV port. He hopes to start on this project within the next few weeks. (Click on pictures to enlarge)

It's been a while since the motorhome has had a good cleaning and waxing. I've been using The Solution on the sides but haven't put on in awhile a good coat of Meguiar’s. I know you don't need to wax if you use The Solution but I ran into a deal that I just couldn't turn down.

Since I haven't recovered completely from a fall about four weeks ago (I pulled some ligaments in my left knee) I just haven't been able to do the cleaning I enjoy doing. Like getting up on the roof being one of the neglected chores.

There is a detail shop called The Shine Shop in a small town we drive by every time we go into Longview. One day I stopped by and asked if they detailed motorhomes. The gentlemen said that detailing motorhomes was his next favorite thing he liked doing. He said we will even come to you and do a complete detail job on the exterior of the coach. I asked for a price and he said he would do the job somewhere around $100-$150 but would give a firm price before starting when he came out.

Yesterday was that day. He drove up in this 02 Thunderbird Convertible as I was providing the ladder, wash bucket and water hose. After looking at the motorhome and walking around it he said he would wash the entire coach, clean the engine and tires. He would hand wax the exterior with Meguiar's Paste Wax and polish the aluminum wheels for $160.

I said sold, so he started at 8am and finished the job around 3pm. Boy does it look good too. He did an excellent job and even went back up on the roof for me and applied 303 to all my vent covers including the A/C shrouds.

While cleaning and polishing my wheels I noticed he was using something that looked like cotton balls. I inquired as to what he was using and he replied Nevr-Dull. This is my first experience with this product and I must say it did a pretty good job on the mirrors and aluminum wheels.

This is the end results of his work looks pretty spiffy doesn't it. I also might add after he finished waxing with the paste wax he came behind with a Meguair's quick detail spray wax for his final touchup.

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

A Mothers Gift

This RV port would not have been possible if it wasn’t for the love of my late Mom. An interesting side note my late Mom for sometime has wanted us to get a RV cover. She would always ask can I get you that cover for your home which I always replied no we want you to stay at Rosemont Assisted Living as long as the good Lord was willing. About a week before her passing Mom brought up the subject again  and I replied as usual. Before hanging up that evening she said well maybe you will get that cover soon. I never mentioned this to anyone until now. Her wish for us is finally a reality and I thank her for that. Most importantly and the gift above all was her love for the Lord, us kids, family and friends.

Also Sandy and I want to thank her brother, James. He took this project under hand even though he's busy in the oil patch and made sure the project was done right. Without his tender loving care, supervision and follow thru it would not have been completed. So, a big "THANK YOU" goes out to him. James, we can never pay you back for all you do for us.

With the exception of the morning sun hitting the back and a bit on the south side of the motorhome we are basically in the shade most of the day. We can tell as this cover has improved the efficiency of both A/C's. They cycle more often and our temp inside is a few degrees cooler than prior to putting up the RV port.
The 16ft eves with a 20ft peak in the middle allows for someone to stand on the roof for servicing and cleaning.

The only glitch is we can not get a DIRECTV signal with our roof mounted Wineguard Trav'ler dish. DIRECTV was here this Saturday to solve that problem. We still need to paint the trusses, support post and install the partial panels on the south side. BIL James says this just might happen the next time we make one of our short road trips.

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

We Are Half Way There

Saturday the crew installed the metal roofing on the north side of the RV port. So, we are half way there. Due to the height of our roof 16ft eves with a 4/12 pitch we are right at 20ft in the middle. This makes the task of installing the metal roof panels a little difficult particularly using a one man lift bucket. It was quite interesting to see these guys work at their trade.In fact it took only 5-6 minutes per panel to install.

 

They also use scaffolding where two men rattled the panels together prior to screwing them down to the C purlins with Tek and Lap screws. They also install lab sealant tape where the two panels join together. The tape has two sticky sides and they had a person on the ground that laid the tape down on the lap leaving the protective strip in place for removable by the two installers on the scaffold prior to placing it in place.

They will install the four C purlins on the south side Monday and if things go well start the south side roofing panels. I don't look for them to finish the project before Tuesday of next week. After this they will need to install the guttering on both sides and the four foot panels down the side on the south side of the port. This will help reduce the sun hitting the side of the motorhome certain times of the day.

After the workers departed BIL James and myself set on the patio under the half completed side and had ourselves a happy hour. Sandy and her other brother joined us about 5 pm. It was certainly nice setting on the patio and where we use to have sun hitting the patio we now have most of the patio in shade. In trying to visualize the shade we will have over the motorhome we anticipate our A/C's won't have to work as hard to maintain cooler temperatures.

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

Out With All Eight

We returned to base Monday only to find we would not be able to park in our normal place. BIL James gave us a heads up and advised we needed to park next door where we use to set up. After setting up the motorhome we walked over to our site and discovered all eight post had been taken out.

We were told that they would never be able to be level and square the post as set. So, James decided to start all over again. It seems the information he was originally given was all wrong. We obviously were a little disappointed but what the heck we wanted it to be right.

So what we found was they installed the eight anchor pipes in the ground and leveled and squared them up. They pre assembled the four sets of rigid frame rafters on the ground using framing jigs, squared them up and will transport each assembly to the appropriate anchors and weld them into place to the flat steel plate on each anchor.

After this they would install the purlin clips to the trusses for attaching the 6" C purlins. We will have four C purlins per side spaced about four foot apart running the length of the structure. After they are in place the task of installing the roof panels. Before installing the roof panels we will paint the rafters and support posts. The target date for completion is maybe early next week.

 

It's a small world. While eating lunch today at the Wild Flower in Hughes Springs who do we run into on other than Joe (aka Speedy) and Sherrie. They were doing a store setup in town. Unfortunately we did not visit long as we had some high price welders that needed to get back to work. Maybe next time.

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

Unbeknownst To Me

 
I learned from Sandy that her brother James had to reset some of the eight support posts for our RV Port. It seems they were not squared up like they needed to be to assure a square fit of the roof panels.

Since this resetting had to be done it was decided they would pre assemble the roof trusses and C- Purlins on the ground, square everything up for the panels and then with a crane set the assembly into place on the support post. They would then secure everything into place. I wish we had been there so I could have taken pictures. On the other hand I guess it was a good thing we left for the week had I been there I would have been a nervous wreck.

I hate they had to redo some of their prior work but glad at the same time they found the problem before setting the roof panels.
Mueller called today and advised my order for the roof paneling, gutter and south side wall would be available for pickup this Friday August 3rd. Looks like all is falling into place and just maybe the RV Port will be ready for us when we return next Monday. Let's hope so anyway.
Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers

Things Are Progressing Right Along

We left base Sunday hoping by being out of the way things would start happening with respect to our RV Port. It must have worked as we received a call yesterday from BIL James wanting us to order the material for the metal roof and have it ready for pickup this Thursday Aug 2nd. He said he wanted to take advantage of our not being there to complete the project before we return next Monday Aug 6th. I called the order in to Mueller and since they do not stock their roof panels by any particular length it would take a week to process the order. Bummer!

The salesman said he would try to rush it but felt the order would not be ready until early next week. So, we may have to boon dock for a couple of days while the roof panels go up. James said they would have the roof pipe trusses and the C-Purlins in place toward the end of the week. The colors we selected are Light Stone roof panels with Saddle Leather Brown trim and gutters. We'll paint the support posts to match the Saddle Leather Brown.

We will be sooo glad to get this project behind us. Looking forward to reducing the direct sun off the motorhome plus the other advantages. Maybe the A/C's won't have to work as hard particularly with the three digit temperatures we are having this week and it appears there will be no let up.

Another plus this roof is going to give us is our patio will be covered nearly two-thirds by the roof. This way we will not have to deploy our large awning and just maybe eliminating any additional damage due to storms with high winds.

Not sure what this is going to do with our ability to get DIRECTV with the roof satellite. We're hoping with the 16ft walls and 20ft peak in the middle we just might get lucky. I suspect we will have to go with either a ground mount or support post mounted dish.

On another front I finally got around to getting Sandy her Breville Smart Oven for our 36th wedding anniversary we celebrated last month. We picked it up at Bed & Bath (aka those who know me Bird & Bath) at a great price with their store 20% off coupon. Now let me tell you this oven is one smart dude and cooks things great.

The 1800 watt countertop oven does the thinking for you. Automatically adjusts the independent heating elements ensuring an exact cooking process. It has 9 menu functions suggest the ideal temperature and time, and the oven remembers them for the next use. Toasts evenly, makes delicious cookies, bakes perfect pizza, and roasts succulent meat.
The convection option speeds your cooking time by as much as 30%. We have also noted the oven does not heat up the home like the Cuisinart she use to use. Sandy just loves it! We don't use our convection oven as often either. I should say she as I do very little cooking myself.

Until until time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

Let The Digging Begin......

Post holes that is. BIL James was over around 8am with his Kubota tractor and the two helpers. They took off the brush hog and installed his auger to the PTO drive of the tractor. Since he already had the stakes in place all he needed to do was start digging the eight post holes for the 4" pipe we will use for the cover post supports. Each hole would be dug two feet deep and about ten inches in diameter. Each hole would be filled with a 40lb bag of concrete after the posts were put in place and leveled. Sandy and I took off to Hughes Springs to pick up the eight bags of concrete. When we got back they were just about ready to start the drilling.

Well on the first hole Mr. Murphy stepped in and due to all the iron ore in this area the pins on the auger sheared. The closer James looked it was determined that the auger being old as it was just wasn't going to get the job done. So, the four of us took off to Pittsburg Tractor in Pittsburg TX to see what was available in the way of a new 3 point PTO auger. Now let me tell you these augers are not cheap ranging from $995 to $1500. I suggested why don't we just rent one and James said it would probably break down as when you rent tools like that they've usually been run through the mill.

Larry the owner said since we were talking about renting he had a used auger in excellent condition and with a 3" cutting bit. He also said he would make us a good deal on a ten inch bit. We took home both pieces for just under $550.
After arriving back to base and installing the new auger they had all eight holes drilled in a little under one hour. We decided to move the motorhome out to make the job a little easier and to avoid any accidents. This really helped as they were able to approach the drilling points with ease and without the hassle of jockeying around the motorhome. (click on Pictures to enlarge)

After the drilling they began setting the 20ft x 4" OD pipe into place and pouring the concrete into the holes around the pipe. They leveled each pipe and pushed the dirt back in the hole to finish the job in about three hours.

After pulling the motorhome back into its spot we are now trying to decide if the 18ft walls with a 20ft rise in the middle might be a tad bit tall. Maybe 16ft walls would be more like it with a 18ft rise in the middle. This would give us about five feet in the middle above the motorhome. After talking with my friend Mark I think we have settled on the 16ft walls with the 18ft peak down the middle. I think the next phase will be the side top rails, joist and rafters. James will be using 2-7/8” pipe and sucker rods for these.

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

Finally Had A Nice Rain Storm Come Through

About 3pm Sandy stepped out of the motorhome to go over to her Mom's. She said come quick an look back to the east. There was a very dark cloud rolling toward us. I had been mowing the seven acres (well at least most of it as Sandy brush hogs about three acres) and hadn't put up the mowing tractor. So, I quickly jumped on and drove it to the shop.

On my way back to the motorhome the wind picked up quite a bit. There was a lot of thunder boomers and lighting. Just as I made it to the motorhome the bottom fell out. It rained hard for about 45 minutes. Finally the iron ore spell has been broken and we were receiving a nice rain!!!! Thank you Lord! Like a kid I wanted to go out and play in it but, the lighting was a little too much. This will finally settle down our dust bowl.
Isn't it a shame that life here has been a little boring forcing one to post about the weather.

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

That Iron Ore Story May Have Something To Do With It After All

Maybe that iron ore statement made by BIL James as to why these storm systems skirt around Lone Star has some truth in it after all.

Here are a series of several storm systems that came our way on Monday July 9th out of the north heading south. None of these systems captured on screen at the different times left a drop of rain here in Lone Star. The systems simply rolled around our area.

Sandy's sister Pam who lives in Longview about 36 miles south of us had one of these systems roll through about 3:30pm dropping about 3" of rain with a lot of thunder and lighting with very strong winds. They lost electricity and their phone line for about two hours.

BIL James called Sandy about 7pm that evening advising there was a strong storm headed our way with quarter size hail, strong winds with rain, lighting and thunder. We went outside let all the small awnings in, tied things down on the patio and pulled the Jeep under one of the large cedar trees.

A little after 8pm the system had divided with the bulk of the storm going west of our area and the other going east of the area. We did manage a very light sprinkle but nothing like the weatherman predicated. Naturally we prefer not to have the bad storms but one would think with all these systems rolling our way we would have received a little measurable rain. Oh well maybe soon as the weatherman is giving us a 50% to 60% chance of rain the next few days.

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

Installing a 32" 1080p LED HDTV

We've been wanting to upgrade our 26" LCD HDTV to a larger size. The new 32" LED 1080p HDTV dimensional wise ( 29.1" x 17.5" x 3.7" without the stand ) would fit between the two cabinet doors perfectly. All we needed to do was find a good way to install it to the false wall we added to the TV cabinet about three years ago for retrofitting to the 26" TV.

While on one of our visits with friends at Canton several months ago they showed me how their 32" TV was wall mounted in their travel trailer.They used a Dynex TV wall mount that allows you to mount two mounting arms to the back and clip them on the wall rail. When you need to remove the TV you pull down on two straps that releases the TV from the bottom rail. You then raise up the TV and while still resting on the top wall rail you disconnect the wiring and then lift the TV off the top rail.

Note here:
To be on the caution side when traveling we force two nerf balls between the back of the TV and the false wall. This not only adds some support, it also assures a cushion as the TV will bounce a little due to the mounting method. Once we get to where we are traveling to we simply remove the nerf balls before watching TV.

So, after all this investigation and measuring we went out and purchased a 32" Samsung UN32EH5000 (Black) LED HDTV with 1080p. We had very little problems mounting the wall bracket to the false wall inside the old TV cabinet. I did have to cut out another opening in the false wall to allow all the cables and wiring to be connected to the back of the TV.

Because the HDMI cable slots where on the side of the TV I had to notch out the side of the cabinet to allow them to clear the box. It doesn't look that bad and the average person entering will probably never notice it. If they do well......

This new Samsung 32" LED HDTV weighs only 12.6lbs and 3.7" in depth. Not only does it look nice mounted it delivers an excellent picture. If you look real close at the bottom of the TV you can see the two release straps.Oh by the way I'm using the 26" LCD HDTV in one of my outside bays. I would like to mount this to somewhat a slideout tray or turntable. Not real sure what to do here. I just may put it in the bay that has a slideout tray and let it set on the floor of the tray when watching TV and lay it down when traveling.

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

Catching-up

Finally had a nice rain last evening that really cooled things off. This was our first measurable rainfall in a while. In fact things were beginning to look like last summer during the drought. Small ponds, creeks and our lake under Hwy 259 are just about drying up.

It's strange areas around us have had good amounts of rain but for some reason the systems seem to split up and go west and east of Lone Star. BIL James says that's because of all the iron ore we have in the area. I know he is pulling my chain but something is causing these systems to go around us. We were in Longview Saturday and they had a nice rain Friday night and it rained most of the day we were in Longview. When we arrived back in Lone Star we didn't have a drop of moisture even though the system came out of Arkansas and Louisiana.

We have staked the eight posts that will support the RV cover for the motorhome. Their will be four on each side about 21ft apart. The patio will be about half covered with the roof panels. This will be nice as we won't have to let the big awing out as much.

Sandy and I visited the Mueller Steel plant over in Kilgore last week and got prices on the roof panels, gutter system and an idea what kind of lead time they would need to fill our order. We also looked at colors and could not come to any conclusion. We did learn it will require 22 panels per side to cover the 24ft x 65ft shelter for the home. We learned they have no standard lengths of roof panels they'll do any length required. It looks like we will go with 13ft lengths which will give us about a foot overhang per side. We will run gutters on both sides. With the roof over the motorhome we won't be able to use our roof mounted Satellite dish. We will have to use a ground mount or mount a dish to one of the support posts.

We chose the U-panel design which is a nice looking panel with these benefits:

Up to a 30-Year Limited Paint Warranty
A Wide Range of Designer Colors
Hail Resistant – Underwriters Laboratories Class-4 Rating
Fire Resistant
Wind Resistant up to 140 mph
Practically Maintenance Free
26-Gauge - Commercial Grade Steel
Energy Efficient
Greater Life Expectancy
Outstanding Durability
Possible Insurance Savings

Boy as hot as its been we will be so glade to have this project behind us. Since BIL James trimmed the limbs of the huge oak tree that use to overhang the motorhome, our A/C's really have to work hard to keep it comfortable inside.

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

Oh No Not Again!!!!

Yesterday evening we set out on the patio under the big awning enjoying the cool breeze from our large floor fan. We like to watch the birds, squirrels and rabbits feed on our bird feeders.
It was getting dark thirty and time to let the big awning in. I usually start on the far end letting down its arm and work my way toward the front arm. Sandy with the awning stick grabs the strap and I release the awning lock to allow it to roll up.

Just as I released the lock there was this loud kaboom. I looked at Sandy and her at me. At the same time we both said "what was that"!!!! As I looked toward the back arm I saw that it was no longer in its mounting and the large C-channel arm was resting on the ground and the smaller upper support brace was laying up against the side of the MH. Now what happened I asked myself. Upon closer examination I found that the locking pin for the foot bracket had given away allowing the arm to come crashing down.

So off to the RV store we go hoping they had a replacement foot. Took a photo of the foot that was still intact with my IPhone to show the salesman the part we needed. He first said they probably would have to order the part but would check in the back to see if he could find one. Shortly he came back with part in hand.Yeaaa! I guess if it has RV connected to it you can expect to pay a premium. That sucker set me back $17 and did not include the two mounting flanges to secure it to the C-channel. He suggested I pickup two 1/4-20 x 1/2" stainless steel screws with nut and lock washer. Those set me back nearly $4.

After arriving back home with Sandy's help we began the task of removing the broken foot. With my cordless drill and 1/4" drill bit I drilled out the mounting flanges to free the foot from its mount. We then fitted the new foot to the C-channel and discovered the mounting holes did not line up. They were off a good 1/2" or better. Only recourse was to drill the holes in the C-channel with the 1/4" drill bit using the holes in the foot as my drill guide. After that we were able to mount the new foot to the C-channel with the stainless steel bolts and nuts.

The next challenge was to guide the upper support arm into its track. We first thought we could do this by raising the arm as high as it would go but to no avail. Then I remembered in the larger C-channel there were two screws in the slide channel track. By removing these we were able to slide the upper arm out of its track and insert same in the larger support tubing. Job finished without any other problems. The awning is original and I guess after ten years one can expect these kind of issues.

There was some slight damaged to the rear finder well where the paint was damaged. I hope to polish these out with some fine rubbing compound and paste wax. Other than that we are back in business until something else crops up. Oh we got this fixed   just in time the wind began to pickup and create havoc with the awning. So, we were able to let it in without further damage. otherwise no telling what would have been next.

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.

She Is At It Again!!!

It's been a little over two and half months since the back forty here at base has been mowed. Today Sandy took advantage of the cooler morning 68F and brushed hogged the back forty. I had asked her to give me a quick lesson on the use of the brush hog and she said I needed to stick with the smaller tractor mower. Now go figure that….. She wants to keep this a secret for her use only. Can’t really blame her as the tractor cab is air conditioned where the smaller tractor mower is open air.Talk about being hot and dusty. When we go several days without rain its one dirty job mowing with the smaller tractor.

It took a little under two hours to mow the very tall grass/weeds. I could tell she felt very comfortable in the mowing compared to when she first brushed hogged the place here. She handled the tractor and brush hog very professional. She even used the tractors' front forklift to move several large tree branches over to the burn pile.

BIL James is planning to run the electrical to the man cave this weekend. Once that is in place we will be looking at TV's, furniture and chairs for the entertainment area. He also has plans to start on the front covered porch. His plans are to install ceiling fans and screen it in. We have a good start on getting stuff out of our cargo trailer over to one of the rooms we will use for storage.

Until next time. . . .MtnAire Travlers.