Stuck for Another Two Weeks

It seems OKC's grip on us keeps getting tighter, looks like we'll be here for another 2 weeks or so.  Good news is, the root canal went well, bad news is, now it needs a crown and that is scheduled for 2 week out.
Like many other places in the country, the ground here at the park is saturated and with rain every day lately, it just doesn't seem to dry out. Everything is constantly wet and really wearing everyone's nerves. Good news here is, beginning next week a dry spell is supposed to come in, and that will be a welcome relief from all the rain.
Once we leave here, the plan is still to explore some more of Arkansas before we have to be back for our new grandbaby's arrival in Aug.
That's all the news that's fit to print right now, So until next time............................

Hotel California or so it Seems

Being here in OKC sometimes reminds me of the Eagles song, Hotel California, where you check in but can never check out! We had plans to leave today (Monday) go down and have our jacks fixed and a new awning installed or the beginning of those anyway. However two things seemed to interfered with those plans 1) the weather, major flooding in the area of our RV guy and 2) what seemed to be a simple case of sensitive teeth has now turned into a Root Canal for yours truly. The weather, well, it is what it is, and the repairs can wait. My tooth on the other hand raised it ugly head on Friday and has been killing me ever since and to the point of calling my dentist for an emergency appointment on Sunday. Thinking it was just a cavity that appeared, turned into the need for a Root Canal and in its location he is referring me to a specialist to have it taken care of this week. In the mean time, pain meds and antibiotics. A fun week ahead!!!
So we extended our stay here another week, hopefully that will give the area our RV guys works out of  a bit of time to dry out.

Another item we picked up this week is another air compressor. We had the same model as this one, but had left it behind with Sheryl's brother during our farmhouse siding project, since we had to leave early. We just called it part of our contribution to the cause. I really don't like being with out one as they are very handy when needed. We had a smaller one at one time, which worked great on the 5th Wheel tires, however on the motorhome tires, not so much. Since we run our tires at 100 -110 psi this 150 psi, 6 gallon compressor fits the bill nicely. Light weight and compact it stores well underneath. Some may ask why carry that extra weight when you can just check and fill your tires at about any truck stop? Well we learned how handy one was about a year and a half ago. While travelling through middle of nowhere Arkansas, we discovered one of our rear tires somehow lost air down to 20 psi and was screaming hot. Well instead of calling out and waiting who know how long for roadside service, I just pulled out the compressor, fired up the generator and in a short while we were on our way again. Now for those folks in a diesel pusher, they normally have one on board for the air bags and brakes, but for us gassers, having one sure is handy.
By the way Happy Memorial Day to all!!! Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend and don't forget to take a moment to remember our fallen. The sacrifices our Military Men and Women make, allow us the freedom to live this wonderful lifestyle we call Full Time RVing.
That's it for now, so until next time............................

Upping the Comfort Level

Another project we wanted to accomplish while here in OKC was to finish updating and enhancing our comfort factor in the Motorhome. We were able to find a new couch in Carthage a couple of weeks ago, but now it was time to replace the recliner. The recliner, as well as the couch we had bought at Camping World about 1 1/2 years ago was really wearing poorly. You would think for what you pay for RV furniture it would be of better quality. I guess like most things in the RV world, they make it as cheap as possible. We learned our lesson on that, so off to the Lay-Z-Boy store we went for a real recliner. We knew we wanted a Rocker/Recliner that swiveled, but would also need to be small enough to fit in the space allotted. We told the sales lady what we were looking for and she was able to take us right to it. They had a wide variety of colors and features, however as luck would have it they had one that was just the color we were looking for with all the features we wanted. It was a little more than we budgeted for, but not by much, so it was a done deal!!! A couple of hours later and we were enjoying our new recliner, the level of comfort and quality is so much better than the RV stuff they sell. So if you are looking to replace you tired old furniture, go residential, it's worth it!!!
A couple of major projects are on the horizon for next week, we will be getting our Jacks fixed along with having our awning replaced that was damaged in the latest Oklahoma storm. So until then or sooner.....................................

New Reading Lights

 We are still hanging out here in OKC. Sheryl had her back procedure and all went well, she is pretty sore, but that is to be expected. Her other doc appointment also went well with good news all around. While here in OKC (since it's our home base) I try and take care of projects both big and small. One I've been working on is replacing the old original reading light with more modern ones. It's not that we didn't like the old fixtures, it was a matter of, when people sit on our couch, they tend to bump their head on them. This seemed to become a problem when we removed the shelf behind the couch to gain some much needed room.

 The new fixtures we picked up while in Carthage MO at Colaw's RV Salvage. They are much more compact but still swivel, and I must say look much better.

Install became a bit of a challenge as the wires came down through a hole about the size of a dime. The new lights needed a 2" hole to recess it.  For those of you with cabinets like ours, the bottom is pretty thin laminate and splinters very easy when cutting it. This gave me a reason to buy a new tool!!! and what man doesn't like a new tool to add to his arsenal! I searched around and found an Oscillating Power Tool and it sure fit the bill, made cutting into the thin wood a piece of cake with no more splintering (wish I'd thought of it for the microwave install last year).

We had to weather another round of severe storms again last night, threats of large hail and tornado's again. We've decided not to return to Tornado Alley (OKC) again in the spring if at all possible, it just to nerve racking worrying about our home being destroyed or badly damaged. One thing I did pick up from a fellow Fulltimer (thanks Paul) is to always refuel when arriving at your destination. This is so if the power goes out or you need to leave in a hurry (for what ever reason) you will be ready. For us this time it was power outages, three so far due to the storms. Plenty of fuel for the generator and it's also nice to not have to worry about refueling when time to leave, just head out and go.

Our next project is getting the motorhomes jacks fixed, we have a couple that have been leaking and hopefully we can get them taking care of next week, I'll let you know how that goes. So, until next time...............................

Oklahoma Tornadoes and Named Website of the Day!!!

After spending a nice week with family it was time to return to OKC for the last of the doctor appointments. Upon returning and after chatting with a few of the folks here in the park, we found out we were very lucky to have been away during the recent storms here. Luck was on the side of the base and the FamCamp again, as a tornado struck another RV Park just a couple of miles away. This is also the park we would stay at if the base park happened to be full. The entire park was destroyed, 17 people decided not to take refuge in the tornado shelter and 7 of those ended up in critical condition at the hospital and one did not make it. If you plan on visiting Tornado Alley in the Spring make sure you take all warnings seriously!!!
As a tip: Have a bug out bag at the ready. We have one which contains all our important paaperwork we may need and or would be difficult to replace. We also keep a couple of changes of clothes and some extra food for Scrappey, just in case. Always wear long pants and good shoes (not sandals), if potentially bad weather could strike while you are asleep, make sure you have these items laid out. Mainly for us Fulltimers, imagine coming out of the shelter and your RV is gone, take what you think you will want/need.  

On a happier note, we received a comment on our Facebook page from a lady telling us she found or blog via a Daily RV Newsletter. She did not specify which one, so I went in search of and found it. The newsletter is published by RVTravel.com and we are one of the very few, if any Fulltime RV Blogs that they publish as Web Site of the Day. Needless to say that made us feel pretty darn good! If you would like to check out the edition with us in it please click HERE. They also wrote a nice intro for our site,
WEBSITE OF THE DAY: Lovin Our Life Adventures 

A Blog from Kevin and Sheryl, Full-Timers and accomplished photographers with great information for RVers on places to visit as well as tips and tricks they've learned along the way. Includes lots of beautiful and interesting photos.

We will be here in OKC for 2 weeks to let Sheryl heal from her back procedure and incase the doc needs to see her again before we leave. We want to thank all of you that follow along on our adventure, it make the blog worth doing. We'll that's it for now and we'll see you fine folks back here next time................................

Camping with the Family

 All the family that could come finally made it into Natural Falls SP, but so did the rains. It was a bit of a soggy time, but didn't put a damper on everyone's spirits. We all had a good time and actually got to do some activities between the showers.

 Three Generations, Sheryl, her daughter and grand daughter.

 Sheryl's son teaching our grand daughter how to fish. We also did some hiking, exploring, disk golf and of course fishing (not much luck on the fishing though).

At the end of the little lake, we found the dam with a nice cascade on the other side.

It was a good time getting everyone together and a much needed break for them. Everyone had to leave today along with the rest of the campers in the park, so now it's pretty deserted (ahhhh nice and quiet again). Tomorrow we leave and head back to OKC for one final doctors appointment. We are looking at just staying a week there, then have plans to spend some time touring Arkansas and maybe some of  Missouri. We will have a couple of month's to kill before we have to be back in OKC so we didn't want to go far. We both really liked the time we spent in Arkansas last time and are looking forward to exploring some more of the state.
Ok, that's all for now, and we'll see you back here again next time.........................

Natural Falls S.P. Oklahoma

 After our stay in Carthage MO, we made the short trip south to Natural Falls State Park in Eastern Oklahoma. It's a very nice park with lots of activities, from Hiking and fishing to Disk Golf and a playground for the kids. Of course the main attraction is the Falls, but we'll get to that in a minute.

 Our primary reason for being here was to meet some of the family for a short but well deserved getaway for them. They all needed a break from the hustle and bustle of daily life and work (ahhhhh I remember those days). The campsites are nicely paved and level with well wooded sites and plenty of space between them. Above is our rig and our sons camper. We'll have more on the get together in the next post.
Now on to the main attraction and the parks namesake Natural Falls.

 It's small pool area the falls cascade into with a stream leading out to a long thin lake. Since pictures speak volumes i'll leave you with a few of the area.

Hope you enjoyed, so until next time......................................

Carthage, MO

 We left OKC Monday, after a quick oil change at the Base Auto Hobby Shop and landed in Carthage, MO. and the Big Red Barn RV Park. I must give a quick shout out to the park and it's owners. The park is very nice and they also give a 30% Military Discount!!! OK, I know, I know, I said we were headed to a state park in Oklahoma. Well there's a method to our madness. You see Sheryl has been wanting a new and more comfortable couch and chair for the motorhome. We had just bought the ones we have last year and they are already falling apart.

 Well after a little searching, we ran across Colaw RV Surplus in Carthage, MO. Their website boasted a wide selection of pre-owned RV Furniture, so we thought we'd stop by since it wasn't that far out of the way. They did have a large selection, but only one that we liked, so out came the ole card and we were driving back to the RV park with a new couch and I must say it looks great in the rig.

 We also ran across a couple of unique set ups that we had never seen before. First was this truck camper and trailer. As you can see, the trailer is made to mimic a wooded backyard deck, It also has a canopy that can be put up for those hot days and a matching wood walkway over the trailer tongue. The best thing is nothing has to be removed for travel!!! How's that for thinking outside the Box.

 Speaking of outside the box, or outside something anyway, was this little contraption I ran across while photographing downtown Carthage. I also happened to meet the own of said contraption, He calls it a Quadyak or as he explained, an amphibious bicycle, and yes, it actually works!!! The owner saw me wandering the streets taking pictures, so he stopped and we chatted about photography for a bit, He also happened to be a one time Fulltime RVer, but found it wasn't for him. Interesting gentlemen to say the least.

Not really much going on other than that, so I leave you with a few shots of Downtown Carthage.

Tomorrow we head out to Natural Falls State Park for a few days with some of our kids and grand kids. Should be a fun time and we are both looking forward to it. Ok, I'll end it at that and we will see next time from the State Park........................................

New Tech for Old Schoolers

We have been threatening for a while now to upgrade our old, old phones for something newer and more advanced. We did have a Galaxy S3, but the other was quite old. So, yesterday was the day, we headed over to the Verizon Store to see what they had and we came away with 2 Galaxy S5's. Much more phone than we need, but the processor is faster, the camera better and the screen is a tad larger for our old ailing eyes.
I remember before we ever had a smart phone and our daughter was trying to tell us about all they could do for us while out on the road. We balked a little, but finally gave in and she was right, it's the one piece of technology you never knew you couldn't live without!
I know not much of a post, but a pretty big deal for us old school phone users.  Adding to the new phones we were also able to drop our current phone plan charges by $40.00, now that's a deal!!!

That's it for now and we'll see ya next time..................................

Restoring the Ole Homestead

 Wow, what a whirlwind week. We took off for SW Kansas and the family farm on Wednesday, returning to OKC the following Tuesday. The plan was to help Sheryl's brother George work on the main house and get it somewhat weather tight. The old homestead was built by their Grandfather in the very early 1900s and has fallen into a sort of disrepair. The main issue being no one actually lives there to keep it up.
We parked out by the old barn and at least had 20amp power for the motorhome, however no water. We filled the water tank in town, so we were set for a few days of work.

 The white house on the far right was our project for this visit.

 George came up from Austin with building materials in tow.

 All the old siding was in pretty rough shape (though not bad for over 100 year old) but it all had to come down.

 Once it was all ripped off, we began nailing up OSB wood, to which the new siding would be attached.

 Surprisingly, the 1"x12"s under the old shingles were in pretty good shape, except for a few spots, but much better than we expected.

 By the time we had to leave, we had gotten most of the OSB wood up. not as much as we had wanted to do, but between a couple of day of rain and the always unexpected, we actually got a lot accomplished. While George and I worked on the outside, the girls Sheryl, Carol and Stephanie worked on the inside as well as painted all the new siding.

 Yours truly in working garb.

 Sheryl (left), with her sister Carol and brother George.

And of course Georges wife Stephanie, she tried to dodge the first shot but I got her in this one. We put in several good days work. We had to leave, but George and another relative stayed for a few more days. I understand they finished most all the siding on the house. We all may need to meet up there again to finish it up, but it is much better then when we started. The whole idea, is to get the homestead back to the way it was and to be able to go there and decompress from daily life when needed.
We are back in OKC now, Sheryl had a couple of doctor appointments, both turned out very well, with good news. We are taking off on Monday for a week in Eastern Oklahoma to spend time with Sheryl's son and maybe some other family members if they can make it.
That's it for now, just wanted to update everyone and show the progress we made on the farmhouse. So until next time.....................................................