RV Livin’ – What Fresh Hell Is This?

Well, I had hoped that my next post would be entertaining. Depending on your sense of humor this may qualify as entertaining, though we wonder what fresh hell awaits us each passing day. 

We took the RV in to get the washer fixed on Thursday the 15^th, plus a couple of the awnings and the tile with a big chunk out of it replaced. It was to be a one day job so we waited in their lounge until our service advisor came out and said that everything was done except the tile needed a day to cure. So, we booked 1 night in a hotel. 

We went back in the early afternoon to pick it up and then the service advisor said that the awning needed to be reinforced better and they needed to use some silicone that would need some time to cure. They said we would have to bring it back for that and they were fully booked the next week and our appointment would need to be a week from this one. Uh, NO. So, I asked if they did it today and it could cure over the weekend and we would pick it up Monday. He agreed that would work. So, we checked back into the hotel for 3 more nights. 

So, Monday we check out of the hotel and went to pick it up in the afternoon. Our service advisor comes out and says we have some real problems. The awning is much worse than they had thought when they went to reinforce it. He said it was missing half of the “whatevers” that hold it on and the ones that are there are too short. It’s missing a plumbing stack. (I said that like I knew what that is) He said it was missing the reinforcement in the roof and his honest opinion was that Fleetwood (the RV manufacturer) should replace the roof as it was cracked where the rivets had pulled up from driving. Mind you we have driven the unit no more than 20 miles since we have owned it. (the 2 trips to the RV Repair shop and our initial test drive) He also said that he had called Fleetwood 6 or so times and they no longer were taking his calls and we should call and see if they will listen to us. They said they didn’t have a fix figured out yet and NO they won’t pay for any nights we have or would need to stay in a hotel. So, we go check back into the hotel and wait to see what the “fix” will be. As we were sitting in the repair lounge, I can tell you we had thoughts of throwing in the towel and licking our wounds and taking the loss and selling it back to La Mesa RV. SERIOUSLY, how can so much go so wrong with a brand new motor coach. 

Tuesday, we still don’t have a fix, but La Mesa was waiting for a call from Fleetwood. We checked out of the hotel again and go wait at the RV repair shop. They repaired the crack with some silicone so it won’t leak, but they still don’t have a fix. So, we go check into a hotel. This time we switched from Fairfield Inn back to the Residence Inn. (we just prefer it) 

So, Wednesday we check out of the hotel and go to La Mesa. Our service advisor said he still did not have a fix from Fleetwood. He said they disabled the awning and we were take the RV and wait to see what Fleetwood comes up with. Many more phone calls ensued with Fleetwood…. We went back to Outdoor Living RV Resort and booked 3 nights until we figure out what to do. Mind you we have paid for our stay here on top of the previous hotel nights.

We decided to do some laundry now that the washer was fixed. OR SO WE THOUGHT….. The start button is sitting cockeyed and now does not work at all. At least before it worked after about an hour of frustration trying to luck out that it would start. (Greg said if he wanted a slot machine, he would have bought a slot machine….) So, I call the appliance repair place that did the work and they said they would need to order yet another part that wouldn’t be in until next Wednesday. Of course, it has to go back to La Mesa to be uninstalled AGAIN. She did say we could call Whirlpool and see if they have the part and could overnight it. Whirlpool sent us to them to do the repairs. So, why can’t they contact Whirlpool instead of us?

Thursday, we have had some progress with Fleetwood. (I’m being generous here) that the guy in charge said he thinks they have a fix, but they want us to take the unit back to La Mesa so he can get on the phone with their technicians as he seems to not agree that the roof is cracked. (not sure how he can know that sitting in his office in Illinois) La Mesa said there is no need to do that and the technicians there know very well what the situation is and can talk to him without us stowing everything and bringing it in just for that. So, here it is Thursday night and no one called back today.

We’ll see what happens tomorrow! At this rate, we will stay in it until next Wednesday when we need to take it in to get the washer actually (hopefully) fixed and then whatever the “FIX” is for our roof/awning. 

We have a better view in this space we rented. It has a lovely view of the lake and waterfall, but no bohio or outdoor furniture except that token picnic table. 

Our summer is fading away and we can’t get out of Florida! 

Well, our Nightmare on RV Street continues…..

Friday has now come and gone with no resolve from La Mesa RV or Fleetwood. Neither returned a call today.

Since the appliance repair place said they should have the part by Tuesday and we should be ready to have it fixed on Wednesday. So, I called then to set up the appointment for Wednesday and they said they can’t put us on the schedule until they actually get the part in. She proceeded to say the schedules would already be made up and if they had to cancel us it would mess up all of their routes. I said, “well as long as your business is not inconvenienced I guess it’s better that we be inconvenienced.”  I said all of this could have been avoided if it were repaired right the first time. We have to coordinate their visit with La Mesa so our hands are tied. La Mesa still insists we shouldn’t have to bring the coach in for their technicians to talk to the Fleetwood techs. Fleetwood is insisting that is what needs to happen. So, we extended our stay here another 3 days that takes us up to next Tuesday. The Fleetwood guy did say they would pay the hotel stays in the future to repair the manufacturing issues. The technician that installed the roof and awing screwed up as did the quality inspector. 

More conversations have been had about selling this and just scrapping the whole RV thing. We didn’t buy a motor coach to sit in place or have this kind of aggravation. We expected the normal learning curve, but not this nightmare with a brand new coach. 

OK, I’ve ranted on long enough. The saga will continue next week……..and yes I would like some cheese and crackers with my whine.

Since are still in Florida we have a few shots of some wildlife we see on our morning walks. Some are here at the RV park and the others were taken at the hotel. We do see a lot of Sandhill Cranes, but we never had a camera with us when we see them. The Roseate Spoonbills were taken near a pond by the Fairfield Inn. The lizards are here in the RV park. 

 taking a nap

 the view from our RV

 Red Head Agama (also called a Rainbow Lizard)

 Curly Tail Lizard

The Redhead Agama or Rainbow Lizard is a non-native lizard and was first found in Florida in 1976. They  come from West African subspecies and an East African subspecies. 

The Curly Tail Lizard is native to the Bahamas, and was introduced to Florida in the 1940's to combat sugar cane pests.  Their curled tail when held up in the air easily identifies them. Hard to get a photo of that since they seem to do it as they speed away.  

They both eat Anole Lizards which are pretty common in Florida.

Our First Weeks in the Motor Home

We had planned to stay close by until we finished up with all routine medical visits and ordering things for the RV and just for us getting used to it. We scheduled two weeks here at Outdoor Living and then we soon felt that was too rushed and we extended a week and our new goal was to be on the road by the 14th. The park is a Class A only park and is beautifully landscaped and has ponds, a golf course, tennis courts and several pools. It's overkill for our needs, but it is close by to storage and shopping.

We have what is called a narrow king bed, so it takes special sheets. We bought a set at the RV store at La Mesa RV. They fit really tight, but they work. Our first challenge was using the washer to wash them before making the bed. It would not start. It seems to not sense that the door is locked and won’t run until it detects it. Plus, it seems that doing things in a particular order is important otherwise it won’t start. Even though no water was in the machine, it goes into a drain mode to unlock (the unlocked) door and you have to start over. OK, that took many tries to finally luck into it starting the load. Greg had to press the door closed until it finally locked. At least the dryer is aggravation free. If the washer continues to be an issue we will have to get it fixed. *update: we have a service tech coming Monday. We get it to work, but the door seems not to line up correctly so we have to pull up really hard on the door until it locks and then it will start. **update: The tech came out and it's not a simple fix. He said it needs a new circuit board which he ordered. He can't fix it in the coach, so we had to make an appointment at La Mesa RV's service department. They uninstall the washer and then the tech goes on site there to make the repairs and then La Mesa reinstalls it. The earliest they could get us in is the 15th. So, needless to say we need to extend our stay here another day or two or up to a week. 

One of the first things we realized was that the comforter set that came with the RV had to go. It was huge and heavy….there was nowhere to put it to sleep at night as it was just too heavy to sleep with on the bed. I swear it weighed 50 lbs. Plus, there were a ton of matching pillows that also had nowhere to go at night. It looked lovely all made up, but just too hard to live with in such a small space. Plus, there isn't a lot of room beside the bed to tuck it down between the wall and the bed and it was a knuckle breaker. We now have it in storage as it will look great for selling the RV when that time comes.

There's plenty of room on the sides except at the head of the bed where the wood is.

We looked high and low and decided to do a light quilt like we had in Panama. It can be washed and is thin enough to use as a cover and tuck down the small space on either side of the bed and wall. It’s called Coastal Living from Bed Bath & Beyond. Aqua with seahorses, turtles and starfish pattern. We needed towels and found aqua & white ones with seashells on them.

We then went in search of “things” we need for the RV. Space is a premium so finding collapsible and stacking things is vital. While we will often use paper/plastic silverware & dishes, a real set of each will be needed eventually. I ordered a set of Corelle and got a set of silverware. Sine we gave away most everything in Panama before moving back we needed quite a lot of normal things. Bought a set of knives, new cooking utensils that are safe to use in the new cookware, cleaning supplies and more.

Here is the cookware I bought to use on the induction range:

 all of this stacks to store to look like the photo below

Magma stock photo

I ordered plate holders that should hold the dishes in place as we are going down the road, 2 wall dispensers for the shower for shampoos & soap and a pop up paper towel holder for under the cabinet by the sink. It has the advantage of being able to pop it off to carry the roll of towels anywhere like outside. I ordered an ottoman that has storage to double as a foot rest and a place to stash my computer, throw etc. 

Our heads are swimming with terms like black tank, grey tank, Air Force One, Septic safe TP, Flying J and what to do with them. Greg successfully emptied the black tank yesterday. Tomorrow, we plan to do a practice “ready to roll” drill. Bring in the slides and make sure everything is disconnected and stowed properly and drive away and come back and set up. The stands need to come down and the unit self-levels which is nice. Then, get everything hooked back up to water, sewer and electric. Slides back out. I’m sure all of this will come second nature after a while, but right now it’s a lot of steps to keep straight. We want to be well practiced before we hit the road for real. 

Simple things like watching TV and surfing the net needed to be figured out. Our plan was to use our phones as hot spots to surf the net, but that wasn’t working. I had a mini melt down over that. After doing lots of research on how to get internet that wasn’t worse than it was on the cruise ship, we were ready to buy a signal booster (which we may still get), but before going on the cruise we set up a simple phone plan and it only was 3G and a simple upgrade to 4G solved our problem. We still need to get set up with Dish or similar for better TV, but we already watch quite a bit through my computer anyway. (as we did in Panama) **update: OK, we just found out that the unlimited internet package we had wasn’t unlimited. We were allowed only so much if using our phones as a hot spot. So…..after much research to figure out how to make this work, we went in and talked to AT&T before buying any new “equipment”. Greg had about an hour long “chat” with their help desk and got nowhere, so we went to a local branch and within 10 minutes, the guy there got us set up with a truly unlimited internet package that is for those of us that need Hot Spots. We’ll see how that goes. I watch a lot of TV via the internet and project it onto our real TV, so I was burning through the “not really unlimited minutes” quickly. Phew!

At one point we both were so overwhelmed with things that Greg asked if I thought we rushed into this? We knew there would be a learning curve, but this seemed way harder than getting settled in Panama. I don’t think we could have been more prepared, it just takes jumping in with both feet and figuring out how to make everything work. We will get there!

We ordered the stuff needed for Dish TV and Greg will install it on the roof (there is a dome up there it goes into) so we can have TV and DVR capabilities. **Update: so far it does not detect a satellite. We aren't sure if it's the space we are in or it's not hooked up correctly. It's been raining pretty hard everyday with lots of thunder storms, so we haven't been able to really deal with it.  

On the doctor front, sure enough, I went back to the doctor and she ordered more bloodwork. There was no reason not to order it all at the same time. It wasn’t my fault I went in for a physical and she didn’t have time. I asked the nurse if it’s a “Dr. Vidal thing or a Martin Health thing” that they won’t write the scripts the way insurance wants them (and every other doctor we have ever seen) forcing us to come back 2 or 3 times  year instead of just once. (as long as we are healthy, of course we would see a doctor if we become ill). The nurse said it seems all the docs at Martin Health do it that way. Greg liked his doctor, but I really don’t gel with the one I saw. I’ve never had such a brusque and confrontational doctor. Even the nurse said that it was important to really gel with your family doctor and I should probably keep looking for a different one. First, I need to work out my Celebrex (for my feet) as Express Scripts denied it and the doctor just prescribed something else. It's a "step up medication" that requires you to try other things first and if those don't work, then it goes to review and they will cover it. I have already done that quite a few years ago and shouldn't have to go through it again. I did try the other medication and the side effects were severe and had to stop it immediately. So, I called Express Scripts and they agreed I shouldn't have to go through it again. So, I called the doctor's office and the doc rewrote the script and called the special number to start the override. Hopefully, we can get this worked out soon.

We have tested everything in the RV now. Successfully used the microwave and the convection oven, the induction cooktop, the central vacuum and the dishwasher. Greg exercised the generator for the 2 hours they prefer it to be done every month or so. We've bought tons of plastic storage tubs in various sizes to fit in various cabinets and for the basement so things don't roll around while on the road.

We have our storage unit pretty well organized now, but before we do hit the road we need to go through clothing to take us for different climates and we should be done.

At some point we need to get to the having fun part of owning an RV. After the washing machine gets repaired.... It's a new RV, but even new things can not work "right out of the box". Hopefully, my next post will actually be from "on the road".

Post World Cruise – Back to Real Life and Buying the RV

Getting back to real life after being spoiled for the past 4 months on a cruise isn’t easy. We got settled in at the Residence Inn by Marriott. Mountains of laundry was done and we packed many things up to stay in storage.

Making doctor appointments hasn’t been that easy. We had to wait until the 1st to change our status from living overseas to the States. Getting established with new doctors in  timely manner has been more challenging than expected. Greg contacted several on our plan and none could get us in before June, July or even August. It’s for my medication refills, so waiting that long was not an option, plus we would like to get on the road with the RV as soon as possible.

So, he did get a dermatology apt for the 25th of this month for both of us. I made several calls today and was told there was nothing available for a new patient until October! I kept calling other offices and several had disconnected numbers and ones that were no longer in the medical facility that was listed. Finally, I found a P.A. that could see me on the 16th of this month.

Dental appointments were easier. We got in yesterday for full exams and cleanings. (2 hours each). We each have a couple of older fillings that need replacing so Greg got his scheduled for the 11th and mine can’t be done until June 5 unless they have a cancelation.

The morning I was to go in for my doctor appt for my annual check-up and meds refills, the office called and said she called in sick. So, they were trying to push it out another month. I asked about another location since Greg got in quickly in Stuart, not all that far from here. So they got me in, in just a couple of days. Interesting visit. Greg’s appointment was the next day and had a much better experience. She essentially did a complete physical and ordered all the usual tests. Mine told me she didn’t have time to do a physical so I would have to come back for that. She said I didn’t need the “usual” tests, and just ordered a few things. One test I have always had to have due to one of my meds, she said she didn’t know why they would want that. So, the end of the month I go back and finish the physical. This office says I need office visits 3 times a year to get my meds. Seriously?? Once a year has always been enough and they have always written the scripts to do what our mail away plan requires. 90 days with 3 refills. She did not write them that way. We’ll see what happens the end of this month when I go back.

On another note, we have made some progress! We are now the proud owners of a cheap small car!

A couple of days ago we drove south to a CarMax to look at cars that can be flat-towed. The options are limited and we decided smaller was better as total weight is important with an RV. We decided on the Chevy Sonic after test driving the small Ford and the Chevy. The Chevy just felt more solid and “fit” us better.

We didn’t buy it, but checked the Auto Trader to see what one should sell for. Greg found one just like it, but it was located in south Orlando at a dealership. So, on May 4^th we drove to Orlando (a couple of hours) and bought the car after test driving it. Saved a couple of thousand. It’s a 2014 with low miles and in really great condition.

the "toad" in the driveway

I had not driven a car for a bit over 4 years and my first time was in rush hour traffic. Yikes! Anyway, it wasn’t really a problem. I followed Greg to the car rental place to return the rental car and then Greg drove us back to Port St. Lucie.

We had gone to La Mesa RV one day to compare the two we had it narrowed down to and we again chose the same one we keep coming back to. Then, we went back the next day, but our salesman wasn’t there, so they let us go back out and take another look. While we were there we went into other models and other manufacturers and that really confirmed our decision.

The next day, May 5th we went back to La Mesa RV and after looking at it again with our salesman we took it for a test drive. OK, by “we” I mean to say Greg did the driving. Yes, I will need to learn to drive it eventually. It was the only one left (and we checked many other locations, but they were way more expensive) so we sat down and talked numbers and we are now the proud owners of our new home on wheels! It takes approximately 2 to 3 weeks to actually get it ready for us. They go over it head to toe making sure everything is working. It did need a side mirror replaced which probably happened as they move them in and out of the showroom. They also fill all the fluids so it is ready to roll when we take delivery.

They called to set up the date to pick it up and have our walkthrough which was 5/24. About a week before we picked it up, we dropped off our car at the RV dealer so they can get it set up to be towed. (called a toad) So, we rented a car to use until we pick them both up on the 24^th.

Here is a photo they took of us after we signed all the papers:

They gave me a yellow rose

We bought a Class A - Fleetwood Discovery LXE 40D (40 foot Diesel pusher) with a bath and a half, king bed, triple slide outs, washer & dryer, dishwasher, double sink, combination microwave & convection oven, 2 burner induction range, fireplace, L shaped sofa, free standing dinette, 3 TV’s (32” bedroom, 49” living and patio entertainment center), residential refrigerator, pantry, central vacuum system and quite a lot of storage space throughout the coach.

On the 24^th, we had a 10:00 appt to spend the day accepting delivery of our new home. Our delivery specialist, Bob went over everything top to bottom. They use very residential home terms to talk about the coach to give you a feel of buying a home not on wheels. We started with the outside where he showed us our “basement”. There are 2 large bays (my son would say, “one for the canoe!”), a tool shed, smaller bays for misc. storage and then on the other side you see the multiple sets of batteries, propane tank, water hose, sewer connection, generator, blah, blah, blah…. He demonstrated the patio with the various awnings and the TV and stereo system. Of course, we looked “under the hood” and more blah, blah, blah. OK, Greg was listening to that part. Up on the roof to see the solar panel and whatever else is up there. (yes, Greg would know)

 These are La Mesa RV stock photos of our coach.

Finally, we got to go inside. Starting with the dining table he demonstrates how to attach the chairs for driving and the table pulls out way further than we would have thought. There is a pull out “desk” on one side with room for printer etc. underneath. There are day shades and night shades on the screened windows. Next, the TV and the sound system and even fired up the electric fireplace. The refrigerator was pretty self-explanatory. Then, the half bath which has what looks more like a marine toilet with the foot pump and there is a water hose next to it for cleaning. There is quite a bit of storage in there and has a nice sink and counter. (that one belongs to Greg) In the bedroom we were shown how to put the head of the bed up and down. Shown the TV and the storage space that we didn’t know was there behind it. We however do not have storage under the bed, which we had wrongly assumed. The full bathroom has more of a regular toilet that flushes with a button. (small & large water choices) Another wardrobe (there are 2 in the bedroom) sink & counter with cabinets above and below. It has a shower (think cruise ship size) with a seat. The photos are a combination of our actual coach and La Mesa RVs stock photos. The main difference is that our countertops throughout are more gray than black.

 our coach

 La Mesa RV stock photo

 our coach

 our coach

 La Mesa's stock photo

 La Mesa's stock photo

half bath - La Mesa's stock photo

 Full bath - La Mesa's stock photo

full bath - our coach

Next, we move on to the other side of the kitchen with the sink and cabinets. Bob demonstrated how to pull out the L part of the sofa and how to use the one foot rest. (it wasn’t that self-explanatory)

 our coach

 La Mesa's stock photo

 La Mesa's stock photo

 our coach

 bedroom closet area - our coach

bedroom closet area - La Mesa's stock photo

Then, it’s up to the front of the coach. Driver’s side and passenger side controls. It comes with a navigation system and sound system and the passenger side has a pop up foot rest. More, blah, blah, blah…..

 La Mesa's stock photo

our coach

La Mesa's stock photo

Then, we sat down with Bob and went through all of the manuals that are kept in a huge heavy duty tote. Our next task was to bring in all 3 slides. (hard to believe they make it soooo much bigger) Then, we made sure everything was stowed to drive away. Another guy came and brought our car around and demonstrated how to attach it for towing. Needless to say, there are lots of checklists to go over before you drive away and again for when you arrive somewhere to get set up.

We visited the parts store to buy a few things that are needed that don’t come with the RV (like the sewer hose) and some bug screens for vents and they were installed while we met with the final sales person to sign all of the papers and hand over the large money order. We still had a few things left to go over, but it was now 2:00 and we were starving for lunch. After grabbing a quick lunch we came back and finished up and prepared to drive away around 4:30. (yes, by this time our brains exploded several times.)

A front was coming through and while it did not rain, we were having high winds for our maiden voyage as we drove away. Greg drove it like a pro and we got it parked in the RV spot we had preserved in Outdoor Living Motor Coach Resort. It was nearly 6:00 and we were ready for dinner. Our goal tonight was just to get her parked and hooked up to sewer and water and electric. We kept the hotel room so we could sleep there.

The hotel had catered in Godfather’s food (3 nights a week they offered some sort of food that is included) As we were eating our brains were still going 90 miles a minute with RV overload. At one point and just looked at Greg and said “just stop talking”. I really couldn’t listen to another RV related thing.

After dinner, we got the rest of our stuff packed up so we could check out in the morning as we were going to spend our first night in the RV the next evening.

Of course, in between all of this we are still going through various medical appts. (dental, dermatology, mammo, blood drawing and other routine doctor stuff.)

So, I’m sure most of you have wondered why I have been “radio silent” and this is why. My next post will be our first few weeks in the RV.