What Happens When You Have A Heat Wave?

Your air conditioner dies, of course.  Dad was concerned that something was wrong Thursday night because it started squeaking.  He got it to stop squeaking, but Friday at noon, it died.  Mama called Dad and he started searching for a portable AC unit.  Apparently, he along with the rest of the city were on that mission since we are having a heat wave.  We learned that most homes here do not have AC.  Dad had seen a portable unit at Pep Boy's when our Jeep was there for repairs. They still had one and he bought it.  It was about 90 inside the RV when he turned it on.  Luckily, it gets cool here at night and by 10 p.m., it wasn't bad inside.  If it didn't cool off at night, we would be staying at a motel according to Mama.

The Portable AC Unit

Saturday, Dad said he was going to try and work on the air conditioner.  He is an air conditioning guy, so it should be easy right?  Well, the problem is that the air conditioner is not easy to get to on our motor home.  It is a basement air conditioner which means it is not on the roof.  The first thing Dad had to do was build a table that he could slide the air conditioner out on.  That sounds easier than it is.  He went to the store and had all the lumber cut there because the battery on his saw is bad.  He then came home and started working on it.  The battery for his drill is also bad, so after using it for about ten minutes it died.  He finally gave in and went back to the store and bought an electric drill.  Finally, the table was constructed.  It was late in the afternoon by this time.  He then moved the AC unit onto the table and started looking at it.  He put oil in it and worked with that for a while. He thought one part was bad, so we all got in the Jeep and drove to the store.  We got back home around 7 p.m.  Nope, that wasn't the problem.  Drat! 

How well did the portable AC unit work on Saturday?  Not well at all.  The temperature inside was 93. We had all the shades down so that the sun couldn't come in and we had our awnings out. We had the bedroom area closed off.  What is up with that?  We sat outside in the shade most of the day and it wasn't bad.  It was just boring.

The Beast

On Sunday, we tried a new approach to the portable AC unit.  We left the windows open and turned it on since it was cooler outside than inside.  It did keep it in the high 80's but felt so much better with the windows open. Dad said on Sunday that he was pretty sure he could get the AC to work on a temporary basis.  He kept working the oil through it and finally about 3 p.m. it started working.  Our neighbors cheered as they had been talking to us during the repair process. One man even came over and helped push the AC unit back into the motor home.  It is not fixed and we don't know each day if it will turn on, but so far, so good.  Dad could hot wire it so that the outside fan stays on and it would work, but he would rather not do that.  Yesterday, he turned it on before he left for work and told Mama to leave it on.  We about froze in here and after an hour, the unit did freeze up. It was only like 60 outside.  Mama opened all the windows and we stayed comfortable.  She decided to see if it would work around noon and it did.  She didn't want to let it turn off because she didn't know if it would turn back on, so she did laundry and used the oven to make it warm in here so that the AC would stay on.  BOL!  I know silly, but it is not fun being in a motor home that is in the 90's.


Today, it is cloudy and cool, but it will heat up later in the day.  Mama has it 65 in here with the windows open.  Hopefully the AC unit will come on when we need it later.  We have a repairman coming today, but he will not fix it since he will need to order parts. He is also going to check out our slide and step cover problem.  Dad also asked him to see what is involved in putting an ac unit on our roof.  We have been thinking of doing that and it will be nice to have a spare ac unit. 


There is a really nice group of people staying here this week. They are part of a Model A car club. Their national convention is being held in the area.   It is fun to see the old cars driving around the park and also in town.  They like to honk at us as they go by.  One car even had a horn that whistled at us.  BOL!

We like this trailer.  The guy is driving his car in the photo.  BOL!

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Thought He Might Get To Stay In A Motel For A Week

Museum Of Glass

On Saturday, the folks wanted to do something fun.  Mama wanted to see the Museum of Glass.  She was excited because they have glass blowers there.

The following items were in the museum:

The best part was watching the glass blowers at work.  Mama expected it to be one person at a time working on items, but it took a whole crew to make the product. There were visiting artists there and they made the piece that the artists had drawn on paper.

Waiting for the glass blowers to arrive.

All the work was shown on a big screen which made it really easy to see.

 Mama was surprised how warm it was in the room.  It was a very large room.

Ceiling in the room where the glass blowers worked.

Glass ornaments for sale in the gift shop.

Glass water feature outside the museum.

Another glass water feature.

This is on a walking bridge outside the museum.  It lights up at night.

Another view of the glass work on the bridge.

Glass feature on the bridge.

This is the outside to the room where the glass blowers work.

Marina across from museum.

Court house across from museum.

Bridge where glass work is located.

The folks enjoyed visiting the museum.  It took about an hour for the glass blowers to make their project and it was interesting to watch all the steps involved.

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Thinks The Weather In Seattle Is Pretty Cool

Frustration In Seattle

We arrived in Seattle on a Wednesday afternoon.  We made reservations at the fairgrounds with plans of finding a more permanent place after we arrived.  The folks set out on Thursday to check out some campgrounds.  The KOA that is near Dad's work was their first stop.  It does not get the best reviews because the spaces are tight.  The reviews actually said that many accidents happen there due to the tight spaces.  The folks were shocked to find that they wanted $2,100 a month! We would cost them $90.  They decided to move on as we normally spend about $700 -$900.  That price includes electric which is normally charged when you stay a month.  On Friday, the folks set out to check out other RV parks.  They found that either the parks were booked up or they did not allow big dogs.  They found the same thing on Saturday.  They did find one park that looked like it might work, but one sign said it was a 55+ community. Could they pass for that age? Mama called and left a message as no one was there on Saturday and as of today, no return call has been made.  She heard from others that you have to fill out a credit application and you also have to pay to have the electric turned on in your name. Things are definitely different here.  Mama was really getting concerned because the fairgrounds were not meant for long term people.  She was very concerned that they would tell us to leave and we had no where to go.  ::::sigh:::

We are not sure why, but Scout is balancing her frosty treat container on her chest. Dad said he didn't put it there.

On Sunday, the folks planned on doing a little shopping and then resting. They shopped at Kohl's for Dad some new clothes.  That went surprisingly well.  When they got inside the Jeep, they noticed a strong gas odor. They thought it might just be the car next to them.  They drove to the grocery store.  Dad checked under the hood and didn't see anything leaking. They did their grocery shopping and when they entered the Jeep, it still smelled. They decided to get a rental car and take the car to the shop.  Avis was just down the street. They were told at Avis that they needed reservations and they had no cars.  The parking lot was full of cars, but the employee said he was not allowed to rent those out.  The folks asked if there was another Avis that could help them.  He seemed quite put out that he was being asked questions because after all it is not his fault that they did not have reservations.  I guess you should always have a reservation in case an emergency occurs.  They stood outside Avis trying to figure out what to do. No other rental places were open on Sunday.  Dad called Good Sam and asked for a tow truck.  He was told the closest place they would take the Jeep was Pep Boy's. The folks could see Pep Boy's from where they stood and wondered if they should just drive there.  No, they decided to wait for the tow truck.  They waited 45 minutes and then called Good Sam's back.  The first person said there was not a record of the call.  He then spoke to the person Dad had spoken to and was told that she couldn't find a tow truck.  :::sigh:::  Dad was very frustrated and told them to forget it. Mama went back into Avis and pleaded for a car.  No luck, no sympathy.  Guess who will not rent a car from Avis in the future?  BOL!  The most irritating thing was the attitude of the employee.  The folks decided to chance it and drive the Jeep to Pep Boy's.  The folks made it there.  They then called a cab so that Mama could get home with the groceries. While they were waiting for the cab, the tow truck went by and then called to ask where they were.  Dad told them he had canceled it. The cab arrived, but Dad stayed behind with hopes that the Jeep could be fixed that day.  It wasn't. Well, it could have been, but they said it would take them a few minutes after closing time and they didn't want to start on it.  Dad said he would pay them extra since he was going to have to take a cab to work if the Jeep wasn't fixed.  They declined.  He took a cab home.  He then had to take a cab to work. That was $88 with a tip.  I think they spent about $130 in cab fares. A neighbor here drove Mama to Pep Boy's to pick up the Jeep up on Monday. The fuel injector seals were leaking and she was told it was really bad with gasoline leaking on the exhaust.  The mechanic said they were very lucky that it didn't catch on fire. Mama drove it around for a while and it still really smelled. She took it back and they told her it was going to take a while for the smell to go away.  He checked it over to be sure that it was okay.  Mama then had to pick Dad up from work.  It is 20 miles, but took an hour.  It is not a bad drive. There are just a lot of lights that you have to go through.

Monday night, we were talking with the camp host.  She really likes us.  Mama told her our woes about not being able to find a place to stay.  She said they have never kicked anyone out, but they have threatened every year when the car shows start.  Mama felt a little better, but she was still worried.  Tuesday morning, the camp host came up to us and told Mama that she had talked with the office and told them of our situation. They said we could stay here!!!  They will not kick us out even if it gets crowded.  Mama paid our rent yesterday (you have to pay weekly) and the office lady confirmed that we could stay.  Mama is very relieved.  Things are finally looking up. The folks can finally relax and enjoy our time here.

I think my tongue is keeping me balanced on the couch.  BOL!

We were going to tell you about the Museum of Glass that the folks visited on Saturday, but this post went really long.  We will tell you about that tomorrow.

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Is Happy That He Will Not Be Kicked Out On The Street