March 13, 2023 - March 16, 2023 - Work on Golf Cart, Potato Bake, and Grill Repairs

Monday morning I made a trip to Home Depot to get a caulking gun. The other day I bought caulk for a few places and totally forgot I didn't have a caulking gun here. I'm used to all the tools I have at home. 

The golf cart came with only one key. Home Depot didn't make that key, so she sent me to "The Lock Man" about two miles down the road. He cut them in no time for $7.50 each - inflation. The new keys are the size of Ford Motors keys. The ignition has been replaced and the new one is totally different from the usual Club Cart key that will start about everyone's cart. I guess that is good for my security.

While at Home Depot I bought a small steel brush wheel to use in the drill to take the glue off the front windshield posts. Someone must have glued on a rain cover or something in years past. Glue was slopped everywhere and hard as a rock. Here are pictures with the hard, sloppy glue residue everywhere.

Here are pictures after all cleaned off.

I then decided to go ahead and remove the front framework and paint it flat back to match the back top support. In taking the windshield off the old plastic brackets broke so I ordered new ones.

I also took apart the small front dash compartment to tighten the ignition switch because it turned when you turned the key. An easy fix I thought. I put it all back together and no ignition. I pulled it back apart and found that one wire to the ignition switch came off. I looked and looked and couldn't see any wire nearby. Golf carts are way too low to get under without a jack. (Which I don't have here.) Looking behind the front wheel with a flashlight I was able to see the loose wire hanging down. After a couple of times shoving my arm down the hole in the dash I was able to reach down and grab the ignition wire to reconnect it. Mission accomplished. The plastic on the dash needs to be repainted but that is a project for next year when I when I do bodywork on the fender.

Tuesday morning I began work on the plastic golf cart top. It was split in several places due to old age. (I hate plastic.) I took it off to make it easier to work on. I used several strips of painter's tape spread out along each split to hold the pieces together for gluing. I then spread JB Weld Plastic Bonder in between the painter's tape and let it set overnight. After I removed the tape, I needed to put JB Weld Bonder in the spots where the tape had been. Naturally, I ran out of bonder, so I made my first golf cart trip to Walmart next door. There is a concrete path from our park to the Walmart, which has a large golf cart parking area. Here my cart sits with no top.

The JB Weld Bonder is solid and the color closely matches the top. Here are pictures of the top while waiting for the second round of bonder to dry on several repair areas.

Tuesday afternoon the ladies organized a "Potato Bake" at Roberts RV Park. About twenty people participated. It was a perfect day. Dave and I got the charcoal going and then we all sat around waiting for the coals to get hot so we could put the potatoes in.

Everyone brought their own potato and various toppings. We all had a great time visiting and sharing a few adult beverages well into the evening. The men sit in one circle and the women in another. This is a part of RV life I will miss.

Wednesday, while waiting for the plastic bonder to set up on the top, I began once again working on the gas grill project. I had already gotten a full tank of LP and a new regulator. Both worked well and the grill fired right up. We cooked some steaks on it.

Two things remained to be addressed. The first was that the area of the pan where the burners attach in the back had rusted through, which is a common problem. I found a perfect bracket for $1.98 at Home Depot and remounted the two burners to it and then to the pan. It will outlast me.

The second issue was that the four plastic (I hate plastic) rollers had broken off so it couldn't be moved. I saved the plastic wheels off the junk garbage can a week or so ago, made a wooden support for an axle, and attached those wheels using a threaded rod. I installed blocks on the other side so the grill would sit level. I can now wheel it in and out of the shed. The plastic wheels don't like all the weight on them but it will only be moved a short distance twice a year. Here is a picture. Now I need to find some more steaks!

Yesterday we received our first utility bill from the City of Pinellas Park. I'm in the process of getting set up so I can make payments online because the March payment will come after we leave. I called the City and they said the park personnel had to make the change. Go figure. I'll pay this one and hope the next one can be paid online.

Today (Thursday) Kelly is out shopping for new material for a duster for our bed. She didn't like the Burgandy colored one that came with the home. She already bought new drapes and a different comforter. Soon the bedroom will be to her liking, except we need to bring some pictures down in the fall to hang on the walls.

We may go the Roberts RV Park this afternoon for the final Horse Races of the season and back over tomorrow for the St. Patrick's Day Golf Cart Parade. Both are always fun events, the park is close, and it gives us time to visit with our friends.

March 9, 2023 - March 12, 2023 - New AC, Golf Cart, New Outlet, Gas Grill

The humidity level in the house has been extremely high. The AC was just not taking it out as it should. It needed to be looked at. I inquired of those in the park and the overwhelming suggestion was Airmasters of Pinellas Park. I called and they sent someone out that day. Upon hooking up his gauges he found that the system was quite low on freon, causing it to ice up the coil. He showed me how corroded everything was inside, advised me that this Goodman brand of AC was installed in 2010, and that they had a poor design, which often led to leaks. He said he could charge it up for about $600.00 but he wouldn't guarantee that it wouldn't leak out again in just a couple of days. The second option was to put in a new coil at a significant cost, and still no guarantee. We opted to get a whole new unit with a ten year warranty so we didn't have to worry about it working this summer while we were at home. Here is a picture of the old unit. 

Two repairmen arrived Friday and withing two hour had the new unit and thermostat installed. These units also contain a 10KW electric element for heat when needed. The new unit is a Comfortmaster by Carrier, much better brand:

At his suggestion I purchased crushed rock and placed it all around the condensation drain to keep any debris out. A very nice company to work with.

On the Golden Gate Buy and Sell Facebook page there was an older golf cart for sale for $1,000.00. They guy charged it up and I took it for a ride to our place and back (less than two blocks). The batteries were so bad that when I was driving it back it totally quit in the middle of the street. He had to push me in. The cart:

The bad:  the seats were quite dirty, the front seats did not match the back seats in color, it needed batteries (about $800.00), the driver-side front fender was bashed in from hitting a wall, and the seat backs were falling off. Here is a picture.

The good: It is a Club Cart, it runs well when the batteries are charged, it has a good charger, there is no play in the steering, the brakes work fine, it has a windshield, a rear-view mirror, front and back lights updated to LEDs, the seats were not torn, and it has a rear seat. The rear seat is a $400 item by itself. I offered him $500.00 and after thinking about it a day, he accepted my offer. I picked it up Saturday and began to work on it.

The seats were really dirty and the seat backs each were being held on by one bolt and wire ties to keep them from spinning.

The seats cleaned up well and I solved the problem of their mounts by drilling and adding a bolt to each one.

Here is a picture after the seat work was completed.

The plastic top is split down each side. This needs to be fixed. I am going to use JB Plastic Weld to hold the pieces together then use E6000 glue all along the cracks on top to seal them. I haven't decided yet whether to take the roof off to make this repair or do it while on the cart.

Several of the battery terminals were quite corroded. This could influence the batteries accepting a charge. 

I took them all off and cleaned everything. After doing this I recharged the batteries. I took her for a ride and was able to circumnavigate the park and drive up and down a couple of streets before the batteries died. It would be good enough for me until next season, but we may buy new batteries now so we can use it all we want. The golf cart needs a name. I put that out to all of you for suggestions. One suggestion last night was "Lisa", in keeping with the Simpsons naming scheme we have used since purchasing Homer. Send me your suggestions.

The only outside outlet on the house for charging the cart is on the front of the house. I didn't like running an extension cord for that across the driveway. With the help of friends, Chris and David, we installed another outlet on the side of the house. A great improvement.

A project I need to get back to is the old gas grill I bought. I took the wheels off the old trash can, bought a threaded rod, a 2x4, and some pipe brackets. I will mount a piece of 2x4 on each side, then mount a pipe on one 2x4 for an axle guide. I will attach the two wheels off the old trash. I can then wheel it around, and in and out of the shed as needed.  IT also needs a little burner repair so I bought something to fix that with. I'll update with pictures. I can't work on it now because rain is coming.

Last night we played "Nickels" with our Michigan friends in Roberts RV Park and had a great visit until 10:00 p.m.

March 8, 2023 - Blog Response and What I Have Been Fixing Over the Last Week

Thanks to everyone for responding to my blog question. The unanimous consensus was that I should continue the blog by reporting what we are fixing up and changing at the Florida place, the activities we are involved in here in the park, our travels and activities while in Florida, and reporting any RV trips we take in Homer.

So here is what has been going on the last few days:

Last week Kelly ordered a new shower curtain for the shower in the master bath. It was delivered and I was immediately able to put it up because the prior owner had left a new bag of shower curtain hooks. Kelly loves it (which is all that counts). Here it is.

Friday Kelly wanted to get new globes for the sconces in the two bathrooms. We couldn’t find modern globes that fit the sconces that were in place. Kelly found new sconces at Lowes and bought five of them. For the master bath she wanted burnt brown. Before and after. 

For the hall bathroom she wanted brushed nickel to blend with the faucets. Before and after.

After coming back from Lowes on Friday we found a note in our mailbox from the Postmaster. It stated that all new residents had to put a mailbox out at the curb. They would no longer walk ten more feet to use the mailbox on the house. Crazy but true. I found a nice mailbox and post at Home Depot and purchased a bag of concrete to install it. This was a hundred bucks I wasn’t planning on spending but what can you do? I filled out a request to cut down a tree between us and the neighbor. You can see it in the picture of the mailboxes. It is already hanging on the house and needs to go. Here is the mailbox installed, with the required house numbers on the side, and the old mailbox on the house. I'll remove the old one so there is no confusion. Now we are totally legal I guess.

Saturday, March 4th, we hit four garage sales. We bought a few little items that didn’t amount to much. We ended up back at Roberts RV Park to see how much stuff our friends sold at their garage sale. They sold a lot but still had items left to donate to the Salvation Army. Dave and I went to the house and got our empty boxes for them to pack up these items. Upon bring them back the women made short work of boxing it all up and loaded into the car. We then ordered a couple of pizzas with adult beverages to wash it down. We enjoyed our visit.

A small Sunday project was putting a striker plate on the hall bathroom door. Without the striker plate the door would not close tight unless you twisted the knob each time. I have a number of striker plates in Perryville and didn’t want to buy another, so I stole one off the guest bedroom closet door. I’ll bring a replacement down next fall. For the installation I had to do a little chiseling without a chisel. I’ll bring down a chisel in the fall, I have several in Perryville as well.

Another quick project was hanging a bulletin board by the back door. We are regularly getting notes about activities here at the park and need a convenient place to post them. Kelly wants me to make a coat rack to hang under it when we get back home.

My final improvement project for the day was switching the two light switches by the back door. As it was, the first switch as you came in the door turned off the outside motion detector light while the second switch turned on the light in the room as you entered. This was backwards. Now the first switch you reach for will be to light up the room.

Trash is picked up on Tuesdays and Fridays. Tuesday after the trash was collected this is what our trash can looked like:

The can rolls and the handle has been completely torn off. The prior owner had "hot glued" it at one point, but it obviously didn't hold. I thought about making a handle, but I just don't have the tools here to do it. This morning I bought a new trash can. 

Since day one the washing machine has been acting up. It was old and the timer was jacked up. It would stop halfway through a wash cycle, and you would have to remember to go out and turn it back on to finish the cycle. Also, it would not switch to run a "cold' load. We decided to buy a used one. I looked on Facebook and found a used appliance place in Tampa that had used washers reasonably priced which came with a 30-day warranty. I called and they would deliver, install, and haul off the old one for $70.00. Yesterday morning (Tuesday) they showed up right on time and installed the new (used) one and hauled off the old one which looked like this.

The delivery folks were a Mexican young woman and young man. He didn't speak English but was all business about getting it installed and the old one hauled out. She made sure to text me the warranty information. A very nice transaction.

Yesterday afternoon our Michigan friends, who are staying in Roberts RV Park a mile or two away, and Celena, came over for some adult beverages followed by a spaghetti dinner, salad, and garlic bread prepared by Kelly. The meal was delicious. After visiting for a while, we had ice cream with all the toppings and the biscotti I made the day before. It wasn't my best biscotti. It was the first time I ever baked in an electric oven so I need to adjust. They taste good but are a little overcooked. Before they left Jean took a picture of Kelly and me on the front porch.

This morning I was up at 3:30 a.m. I've been having trouble sleeping later lately. I decided to do a load of laundry in the "new to us" machine. I loaded the washer, put in the detergent, and turned it on. After the water filled and it tried to agitate it made a grinding noise you could hear across the street. I just knew it was going to wake Kelly up and I was going to get "a talking to" about that. Something was wrong with the drum or the agitator. I got it to drain but it would not spin. I then had a load of sopping wet clothes to deal with. We do not have a clothesline. The big towel in the load I put outside over a chair to let the excess water drip out. The rest of the clothes I put in the dryer for three cycles to get them dry.  At 8:30 a.m. I texted the appliance lady and told her of the problem. She promptly texted back that she was sorry this happened. They were out making deliveries and would bring us a new machine. Before noon they were here, took out the machine, and replaced it with one that works fine (I did a load of laundry to check it.) This machine even looks better than the first one. You can't beat that for service. 

Last week I bought a two-burner CharBroil gas grill for $32.00 off of Facebook. Kelly thought it was a piece of junk when she saw it because it is rusted at the bottom. I don't care about that, everything down here rusts. It came with a propane tank that was empty. I got a refilled tank and hooked it up. It wouldn't work. I took the hose off the end of the regulator and could hear no gas coming through. I diagnosed it had a bad regulator. I went to Home Depot because online it said they had the exact replacement I needed for $9.95. When I got there all they had were regulators with longer hoses that cost $24.95. I wasn't paying that. I then went to Walmart and found a nice stainless-steel hose and regulator for $15.00. I bought it. I hooked it up and the grill works like new, it just doesn't look like new. All that was left to do before using it was cleaning up the grate. I told "Miss Doubting Kelly" to get out a steak and I'd cook it on the grill for supper. 

Our porch furniture is made out of plastic pipe with plastic rollers. One or two are falling apart or fall off when you lift the chair. 

I hate plastic crap so I bought some metal replacements online. They arrived yesterday. Upon trying to install them I found out that I can't budge the nuts on the old ones, again because everything rusts down here. I will take them all home, cut off the old ones, and install the new ones. When I install the new ones I'm going to put anti-seize on them to see if that helps.

Tonight is the St. Patrick's Day Dance. This will be the first activity we attend in this park. I will report back. Now I need to go fire up the grill for supper!

March 6, 2023 - Questions for My Followers

With the purchase of the Florida home the content of the blog will obviously change. Although we still have Homer we will not be traveling as much as in the past so we will have fewer adventuress to share with you. So the questions are:

1. Should I just stop blogging?

2. Should I continue the blog by reporting what we are fixing up and changing at the new place, the activities we are involved in here in the new park, our travels and activities while in Florida, and reporting any RV trips we take in Homer?

3. Should I only blog sightseeing trips and RV trips in Homer?

I would really like your honest input. I need to know if you think the blog has run its course and our non-traveling activities are of little interest. No matter what you say, I will not be offended.

Mike

February 27th - March 2, 2023 - Our Florida Home

On February the 27th we delivered Marge to her new owners. Putting her in place was a two-hour ordeal that I don't want to relive by telling it to you. I didn't think I would get it into their spot, but I did. Thereafter we got something to eat and then made the two-hour drive to our mobile home in Golden Gate Resort in Pinellas Park.

All day the 27th and 28th we unloaded stuff from out vehicles and from Celina's shed in the park. I could not believe how much stuff we had accumulated in Marge over a fifteen-year period. Our new place came fully furnished with silverware, dishes, pots and pans, towels, bedding, etc. (They did take the TV.) Kelly spent most of the 28th taking everything out of the kitchen and re-arranging it to her liking and putting her favorite dishes and utensils in place. Meanwhile I got the last load of stuff out of the car, the truck, and Celina's shed. I put all my tools, etc. in one of our two sheds. After two days of this we were "settled in" but BEAT. The last time we moved was 27 years ago. It was much easier then. 

All is not finished but I thought I would share some pictures as she sits today. The lady that owned it was, as Kelly says, "a girly-girl". Every room is decorated in Burgandy and pinks with lots of fluffy and lace curtains, etc. It is not Kelly's style. She will have all summer to think about redecorating ideas and the purchase of a HUGE TV. For this month we will have no TV nor internet. I can take my laptop to the clubhouse, where I am now, to get on the internet.

Here are some pictures I took; they are pretty self-explanatory. (Notice even the outside trim is burgundy.)

I forgot to take pictures of the master bedroom, master bath, and porch, but you get the idea. The place was move in ready and they even had the carpets cleaned the day before we moved in. It is our "Home Sweet Florida Home". I hope we get to enjoy it for a number of years. There are lots of activities in th park on a weekly basis. We bought tickets for the "St. Patrick Day Dance" on March 8th. It will be a good way to meet people. Janet, the secretary, already knows me on sight due to all my visits with questions. We will be here until the end of March.

Here is the main shed. It needs lots of attention. My first job is new lighting.

One of my blog followers asked that I explain what makes a mobile home park a “co-op” park. In a co-op park each mobile home unit owner owns a share of the entire park. In Golden Gate there are 340 lots, so our share is 1/340th value of the entire park. Periodically the share value is increased based on the value of the property. The share value was recently increased by $5,000. The major advantage of this arrangement is that you do not have monthly rent and since the park is resident-owned, there is no profit motive, so the maintenance fees are low. As a shareholder you also elect the Board of Directors, who run the operation. Another advantage is that the property cannot be sold out from under you. This has become a problem as privately owned parks are selling out for big bucks to developers. If that happens you have to pay big bucks to get your MH sold and moved. In this co-op I believe 97% of the residents have to agree to sell the land. There is a monthly HOA (Homeowners Association) fee for maintenance of the clubhouse, the pool area, the streets, and the lawns.  A couple of the reasons we picked Golden Gate was the low HOA fee per month, the great maintenance of the park, and the pride taken in the homes. In many parks, like the one we just left in Avon Park, if you have a mobile home you have to pay rent, put in sprinklers, take care of your own lawn yourself, and hire someone to do it when you aren't there.  The HOA fee is due every month year-round whereas you only pay for water, sewer, and trash for the months you are staying in the park. Electricity has to be kept on year-round to provide AC in the summer to remove humidity to prevent mold and mildew. Time will tell how the costs wash out compared to ever-increasing RV park rent in the winter months.

Hope you followed the explanation.

February 25, 2023 - Entertainment and "Our Move"

Last night we went with our Canadian neighbors and friends, Scott and Beth, to the Wildstein Center to see "The DooWop Project" out of New York. The group was quite talented and entertaining with several of the members having been in "The Jersey Boys" on Broadway. We had great seats and a great time. The place was full of us old duffers, and everyone was into the music. Here are a couple of pictures.

After the show Scott and Beth invited us over for a nightcap at their motorhome. They are such a lovely couple from Montreal, Quebec. We have exchanged contact information and plan on staying in touch with them. Next winter they will be staying on the Atlantic coast so visiting from our place will be a four-hour drive across the state. We have other friends on the Atlantic side so we may make a trip to visit everyone one day and just spend the night over there. 

Our other Canadian neighbor, Ralph, has a son in Lakeland, Florida. He wants to visit us at the new place before we leave. He can then head to his son's home for a visit. He is a great guy. He was originally from Quebec but now lives in Ontario. We have really been blessed this season with great neighbors. We have met a lot of nice people throughout the park. 

This will be my last blog for several days because we will not have internet at the new place. I hope to be able to go to the clubhouse, or a friend's house, and get the internet so I can do a blog with pictures of our new winter home.

Tomorrow will be our last day in Marge. We have had her for fifteen years and I have been hauling fifth wheels for about forty years. Unhooking Marge for the last time Monday morning will be one of those "moments" before passage into another winter lifestyle. 

February 10, 2023 - February 18, 2023 - "The Lovettes" and our Big News

We went to see "The Lovettes" on Valentine's Day at the Wildstein Performance Center at the university. This is a group of three women out of Chicago who do a show of various famous "girls" groups from the 1940s through the 1960s. They are really talented and put on a great show/.

Well, we have had a busy, busy time the last few weeks. The big news is we bought a mobile home in a 55+ co-op park in Pinellas Park and sold our fifth wheel. The fifth wheel is in Avon Park, which is eighty miles away from Pinellas Park. The purchasers of the fifth wheel want me to deliver it to their lot on February 27th, which is just ten miles away. We will get possession of our new place on February 26th. Before we could turn over possession of the fifth wheel, we had to clean it out and get everything over to Pinellas Park. We have had this fifth wheel for fifteen years and I was shocked at how much stuff we have in it. Last week we filled our friend Celina's car and our truck and took it all to Celina's shed for storage. We will take another carload over to Celina’s shed on the 23rd when we have the closing. What little clothes and food is left we can bring to Pinellas Park in the vehicles on the 27th after I deliver the fifth wheel.

We pay for premium mail forwarding until March 31st. We had to change that from Avon Park since after February 27th we will not be here. I was online with USPS for three hours one day and an hour the next day attempting to figure out how to edit the dates. It wouldn’t work and the USPS was of no help. I couldn’t believe that they couldn’t just change it for me, but it had to be done online and it wouldn’t work. It would let me cancel the service effective immediately, so I did that. I then called my friend, John, and asked him if he would get the mail out of the box at home once per week and put it in the house. He was happy to help. 

This move to a 55+ mobile home community is a major passage in our lives. We have been traveling by RV all over the US and Canada for over thirty years - well over 90,000 miles. Spending winters in a 55+mobile home park will be an adjustment we hope goes smoothly. We are not totally out of RV travel, however, because we still have Homer for campouts with our RV club and staying out on our lot at Lake Perry.

Once we take possession of our new place, I will attach pictures.

January 31 - February 9, 2023

On the 31st for dinner we went for Fish and Chips with neighbor, Ralph, to the Sun n Lake Restaurant in Sebring. He had been there before and said the food was quite good. Plus, they had Margaritas for $4.00. The Sun n Lake development consists of hundreds of homes and two 18-hole golf courses surrounding a lake. It is an "upscale" community. I'm glad Ralph made reservations because the restaurant was packed. Ralph didn't steer us wrong. The food was quite good. 

On February 1st we took a two-hour ride to St. Petersburg where we had been wintering the last seven years. While there we made a Costco run for supplies and looked around.  We ended up going back to the area the next day to take care of some business. While there we visited our Michigan friends - Chris and Marj, David and Jean, and Terry and Julie, in Roberts RV Park. We had a great visit but received bad news. Chris and Marj are selling their trailer and are not coming back to Florida for the winter. Marj and Jean are sisters. David and Jean leave their trailer at the RV park and fly down for the season. When in the RV park they use Chris and Marj's car. With Chris and Marj not coming back David and Jean may not be able to come back since they won't have a vehicle to use to grocery shop, etc. We really hope they can find a reasonable car rental for next season so they can come back. We have a selfish interest in their situation because it is our intent to get back to the St. Petersburg area next year and hang out with them and others. 

Friday evening our neighbor to the rear, Ralph, invited us and his next-door neighbors, Scott and Beth, over for drinks. The original plan was to sit outside but a rain forced us inside. We had a great time and ended up staying for three and a half hours. Since Kelly has her Canadian citizenship, I was the only "solely American" in the group.

Saturday morning there was an "Artisan Show" in the clubhouse. Kelly and I walked around but not much interested us. Kelly did buy two hand-knitted potholders at a bargain price. Overnight it cooled down and Saturday afternoon the wind really picked up. Everyone pulled in their awnings to avoid damage. Several gusts throughout the morning rocked the RV.  

Sunday and Monday were lazy days at the RV. My hair had gotten quite long and unruly so on Monday the 6th I went to the barber and got a major haircut. Tuesday was laundry day and I got it done early.

Wednesday was the "D Street Block Party", which is on the second Wednesday of the month. The weather was fantastic and we had a lot of good conversation, laughs, and food. 

Thursday was the Valentine Day Dance here in the park. We sat with friends we met here this year, David and Linda, from Taylorville, Illinois.

They are RVers like us and are members of an Illinois RV club which is dwindling in numbers like our Carri-Yals RV club. We are going to explore combining the two clubs to keep numbers up for future campouts throughout Missouri and Illinois.

The music group for the dance was outstanding and people were up dancing all night long. Here is a picture.

David took a picture of us enjoying the evening.

The dance was over at 10:00 p.m. Just as we arrived back at the RV, neighbor Paul, came by on his golf cart and said there was a gathering at his place and invited us to attend. We made a fresh drink and grabbed our chairs. In addition to Paul and his wife, Marietta, there were three Canadian couples. We didn't know any of these folks but within minutes we were laughing and having great conversations with all of them. 

It was a great evening.