Now THAT'S Service!!

 It was an interesting day with some good results.  Surprised?  Me too!!  The sun came up nicely, finally adding some warmth to the landscape.  My coffee lounging hour still remains inside however.  

The first thing I did was get on the phone to Discount Solar.  THEY needed to know what kind of batteries I had.  To do this, you need a square head screwdriver to remove the silly covers they put on.  Those screwdrivers don't usually travel with me, so I guess a trip to Harbor Freight will be in order.  

In the meantime, Dan came by to work on the wall and saved the day with his handy dandy set.  We took the covers off to discover these marine batteries.  Anyone know if they are 12 volt or 6 volt?  Anyway, without looking at my rig, the price will be around $4,000, assuming the "pre-wiring" is acceptable. 

I know I could probably get it done cheaper with used panels, but for something I really need to depend on, my Dad always told me to buy the best you can afford.  I haven't decided yet ... there will be more discussions.

While trying to find out what batteries I had, I called Grand Design.  What I found out is they are all shipped without batteries.  It's the RV Dealer that puts them in.  While on the phone, I mentioned I had an appointment with the RV Dealer in February for warranty repairs.  

I was actually talking to the Service Manager, and she asked what the problem was.  Apparently this is something they have not experienced before ... the plugs coming out of the cabinets when something is unplugged.  

Surprisingly, she had all the info on my rig from the phone number.  She asked for pictures of all three plugs.  She said she would mail new plugs to me BEFORE my appointment so the dealer couldn't say they had to wait while parts were ordered.  I'll have the parts in hand.  That's pretty good service from Grand Design!!  All at no cost, of course.

A little later, with $25 gift certificates from our favorite fabric shop burning holes in our pockets, Patty and I ran off to Quilter's Market.  We just wanted to be sure we used them up by the expiration date.  Of course Patty only owed $3.92 from her purchase ..... mine came to $118.00.  Good fabric just keeps going up and up in price.  

When I finally returned home, I saw this!!!  Wow ... what an improvement!  It looks fabulous in person!  Dan wants to do the rest of the 100 foot long driveway a little at a time.  As fast as this is going, he will have it finished by the time I get back to help!!  I can't tell you how thankful I am to have such good friends.

I also made a quick trip for groceries yesterday.  With the other rig, there was no problem with food storage.  This one has a tiny freezer with enough room for Cooper and Jonathan food and not much else.  I'm used to a full sized residential fridge.  There is going to be a big learning curve here to figure out what to take and how I'm going to cook.  

I survive from my freezer!  Everything is frozen, then thawed and cooked.  The menu has changed.  No more Lean Cuisines for me!!  No more ice cream, cookies, cake!!!  So just what do YOU make for dinner?  I guess I have to learn to eat from a can!

The rest of the evening was spent paralyzed next to the puppy who growls at you if you move and disturb his sleepy time!  

Today will be spent packing.  Really, it's not like I'm going to be gone for a month, just a couple weeks, most of which will be boondocking.  Bring on the next big LEARNING CURVE!!!