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Along the Natchez Trace

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Road Wear..... and Tear

Our Lazy Daze is nearly 14 years old.  We've lived in it full-time since purchasing it in January, 2001. We've had the normal expenses of tires, oil changes and the such.  We had one major problem a few years ago...   wheel bearings....  we had to be towed and spent a couple of days in a small Texas town having that repaired.  Another time the fuel pump filter needed replaced.  The refrigerator went bad, but was still under warranty.  The furnace and hot water heater both have needed repaired.  Over the years Bill has replaced faucets, restrung blinds, put new screen in the door...  things that any type of dwelling needs as time goes on.

With 14 years and 163,636 miles on it we've been fortunate to have had relatively few problems.  Of course, Bill doing much of the work himself has saved us a bundle.

On our drive from Maine to Texas the Air Conditioner quit working...  our home is built on a Ford chassis with a V10 Triton engine.  The AC is tucked WAY behind everything else and it's a major job just getting to it...
Bill can fix about anything, but he readily admits that the AC isn't in his line of expertise.  However, our son-in-law is very knowledgeable about these things and happens to be home for a couple of weeks.  Since they had to remove so much just to get to the AC unit they decided to replace hoses and various other parts...  even though some of the stuff probably has some life left, it's the perfect opportunity to do it while we're here, while Victor's home, and be able to work in a place with all the proper tools and equipment.  I think they have since kinda wished they'd pulled the rig over to the garage...  handier to the tools and all.

So far I think the parts have cost just over $1,000.  Victor and Bill's labor is free.  Many of my friends are like me...  they wouldn't even know there's a problem until it becomes major.  Not just the cost but even finding competent repair people can be formidable.  Still, I feel fortunate that we've had such few problems in these years on the road.

Speaking of repairs by being on the road...  I've been walking for an hour each morning before it gets too hot and humid.  Trying to ramp up the aerobic benefits, I kind of jog a few times during my walk.  The road here is asphalt, but has very little traffic.  There aren't even any hills to conquer.  This morning I hardly got out of the driveway and was jogging...  must have stubbed my toe.  Went face down...  skinned up both hands and even scratched one of my glasses lens.  But the worst part was my left knee...  when I got up I took one look and knew I was in trouble.  I tied my handkerchief around it and headed back home.  Bill took me in to the local hospital ER....  at 8:00 in the morning I was the only patient.

An hour and 5 stitches later we headed back home.  I've had a few surgical stitches before but this is the first time I've ever had stitches due to an accident.  So far I've had no pain.  Well, my hands sting some from their abrasions, but none at all in my knee.  What, no photos?  Well, yes...  I asked Bill to take some with his cell phone, but I don't think anyone out there wants to look.

That's All For Today!


19 comments:


  1. Sorry to read of your fall. No need to see it, thanks.
    Our (once upon a time) Class A was built on a Ford chassis, and in about its seventh year (I think) the dash air started to blow warm. Was told the Fords were "notorious" for getting leaks. Whatever.
    Paid to have someone recharge it the first time, but then the next summer it was blowing warm again. Just bought one of those kits and charged it up each spring. Wasn't about to start replacing parts.
    Good luck.

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  2. Oh, the knee is awful. You know, though, Bill can probably remove the stitches. Snip, tug, they're gone. Don't ask how I know that.
    Don't forget the timing belt. I've had three friends lose cars because it was time to change is at 70,000 miles and either they didn't know, or didn't care.

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  3. Hate to hear that that early morning walk got you in stitches (and it wasn't even funny). Just kidding. Being active can come with a few cuts, bumps, and bruises but it keeps us able to enjoy life regardless of the hurts. I have to admit that I don't get near enough exercise anymore.

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  4. Ouch, hope the knee heals up quickly:) Sounds like you rig has given pretty good service over the 14 years. Looks like you have one of the ones built on a Wednesday!

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  5. Oh no! That would hurt, I 'm glad that it wasn't more serious although 5 stitches is bad enough. Hope you are feeling less sore real soon.

    It's nice that Bill and Victor are able to do the work that is necessary on the motorhome. Kevin is much the same, he said that he could probably fix just about anything, if he had the right tools to do the job. Kevin as done most of the work on our motorhome thankfully.

    www.travelwithkevinandruth.com

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  6. Falls seem to be harder and harder as we age and then getting up becomes a problem too. I hope recuperation is fast.

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  7. So sorry about that fall. Just glad you are ok and only needed 5 stitches. It could have been so much worse!! Wishing you a speedy recovery on the knee. I bet it hurts...ouch!
    So glad you have help with that air conditioner. So nice to have such talented folks in the family and available to help you.

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  8. I hate to hear that you've fallen and banged yourself up. It does seem to take longer the get back to normal than it used to, doesn't it? Take it easy and get better!

    Mark

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  9. Sorry to hear that you fell and needed stitches. I have done that while walking, catch my toe on a rock or tree root and down before I knew what happened. Hope it heals fast for you.

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  10. Wow, that was a nasty fall, but thank goodness you didn't have to have any parts replaced, unlike your RV! ;c)

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  11. Taking that fall was not a good things, hope you heal up fast.
    Repairs to the house, is good when you have the time, tools and experience.

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  12. We couldn't travel in a rig as old as our Country Coach if Michael wasn't so handy--it's good to have handy husbands! Hope you are healing rapidly!

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  13. Kudos to you for walking - but sorry to hear you fell. Hope you heal up quickly! Stop by my blog when you have a minute! Miss your visits!!

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  14. Exercise is a good thing, most of the time! Sorry to hear about your fall. I know that won't stop you. Wow, that Lazy Daze has really gotten a workout! That's a long time. I have always loved that Class C.

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  15. Oh no, that's awful, makes me cringe. Here's to fast healing and smooth jogging.

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  16. I stopped back over to thank you for your kind comment on my "Gone Too Soon" post. That was a pre-scheduled post, and I had set it up to "Not Allow" comments, but apparently Blogger didn't do that. I sometimes feel it might be burdensome for people to have comment on something like that, so I turn off the comments on that kind of post. It looks like I got to it before anyone else was able to leave a comment. Thank you again.

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  17. Hope you heal quickly. One of the frustrations of aging for me has been my tendency to trip and fall. I'm always bruised and scabbed. I've lost that lightness on my feet that I had when i was young. Our RV is about the same age as yours and my husband is constantly fixing little things. He says the reason old guys have RVs is so that they'll always have something to do!

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  18. Hope it doesn't hurt too much as it heals! Thank goodness you were wise enough to go to the ER fast.

    I'm otherwise quite envious of your traveler lifestyle-- may Lazy Daze live many long years yet. If you come to the Buffalo, NY area look me up so we can have a cup of tea together!

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  19. I’m sorry to hear about your fall. I hope you have fully recuperated by no. Looking back, it was quite a relief that you were able to spare yourself the extra cost of hiring labor to fix your AC. Good thing that the problem really just came down to certain parts. Though I guess it would be a wise investment at this point to save up for a new one, as a contingency measure. Take care!

    Antonia Tran @ Mode Heating & Cooling

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