SV Orion - Annapolis, MD
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Early February - Vaccinated?

2/16/2021

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PictureCathy shows off her Covid-19 vaccine sticker
After our initial success getting Dave’s Covid vaccine, we were disappointed since we could find no path to get one for Cathy. Others at Faith were also looking for ways to get the vaccine, so we put down the paint brush and picked up the computer to help navigate the changing landscape for Cathy and several others at Faith. Not to say that we didn’t have some success at other tasks. Remember all those screws on the gym roof that we sealed? Not one leak since (and we’ve had plenty of rain to test it.)


Chasing the Vaccine​

As the vaccine rules morphed over time, it was becoming concerning that getting a vaccine in another state where we were not residents was going to be challenging. That made us reluctant to make plans to travel in the spring and summer until we knew when Cathy could get a vaccine. How long would we have to wait? Would it be too late to do anything?

Given Cathy’s age, there didn’t seem to be any clear path for her to get the vaccine. Despite the assurance of her oncologist and surgeon that she should qualify due to her recent cancer treatments, the vaccines just weren’t available for someone under 65. Then, one day while checking her junk mail it was there. MD Anderson was offering the chance to get vaccinated. Most of the public vaccine slots filled in just minutes. Having lost a day due to the misdirected email, Cathy was panicked that she had lost her opportunity before she even knew it existed. We scrambled to check available time slots. Monday’s appointments were all gone. Tuesday? Yes! It felt like winning the lottery when the confirmation email arrived.

While Dave’s vaccine had been delivered at the convention center, Cathy’s was at the hospital. After a simple check-in process, she had the vaccine. An uneventful 15 minutes later, she was standing in the rain waiting for Dave. It was great!

We started using our research to help others who were searching. Sandy, who has been spending winters as a Nomad in Florida for the last 3 years didn’t easily qualify under the state’s temporary residence qualifications. Also, when the city shifted its vaccine distribution to an abandoned mall, the sign-up process became much less certain. A message left on an answering machine, with an uncertain future returned call. That led us to a walk-up site on the city’s north side. It was a 2-day event, but Sandy would qualify on the 2nd day. After waiting an hour and a half in the rain, she got her shot.

Next was Samuel, a member of the Spanish congregation who was over 65. With our phone calls to the city’s mall site still not returned, we saw a news report about the newly opened Wal-mart sign-ups. We got him an appointment on the next Tuesday.

Having just returned to Florida from NJ, Don and Bobbi heard of our success and asked for help with their sign-up. As Florida residents over 65, it might be possible, but we didn’t know how long before an opening would occur, and they were only planning to be in town for about 4 weeks. However, as we were having them give us their info for the sign-up, Dave got a text from Clay county about available appointments. They got appointments for the following Monday.

Our efforts weren’t just focused on the state of Florida. Cathy’s sister Chris was having problems with the Guilford County sign-ups due to her terrible internet connection. We were up early one morning navigating the sign-up for her, getting an appointment on the following Saturday. Luckily, the ice that day didn’t knock out the power and she was able to get her shot and return safely home.

We’re not done yet. We’ve been trying to help Dave’s sister in PA and some more church members. The bad weather up north has affected appointment availability up north and supply here in Florida, but we keep trying. Maybe next week.

PictureSealing the air vent on the new battery box
Changing the Batteries
Since we just purchased our RV with equally new batteries, you might ask why we are changing them out so soon? It’s part of a larger puzzle that includes out boat, Orion Jr. When we returned to Faith last November, Cathy crawled on board to check the boat and discovered the batteries were dead. Not a complete surprise. They had sat without charging for long periods before we were able to mount the solar panels on the boat cover. However, at a minimum, we want the batteries to be able to run the bilge pump, even when it sits on the hard. ​

Another piece of the puzzle is Dave’s desire to use 2 golf cart batteries in the RV. This configuration was one he had installed in the Puma and the boat. He also happened to have 2 bad batteries on the boat to exchange as core charges for the new ones. So, the new RV battery would replace the boat’s batteries while it sits on the hard. And the RV would get the 2 new 6-volt golf cart batteries.  

PictureLook closely and you can see the vent on the bottom as well as the top of the box
To make this happen, we needed to replace the existing battery boxes in the RV with one that would hold 2 golf cart batteries. Dave purchased the same style box that we had used in the Puma and modified it to include an upper and lower vent. Cathy provided some straps to secure it in place, which Dave attached to the floor of the battery compartment and the lid of the new box.  

PictureDave checks the voltage on the new batteries before wiring them in
With the new batteries wired into place, our attention turned to the boat. Moving the heavy group 27 battery onto the boat was done carefully. Unfortunately, this battery was too big for the boat’s battery boxes. And those from the RV which had held it, also had a 2” vent hole sticking down from the bottom. After trying several layouts, we finally found a stable installation that restored power to the boat (and therefore the bilge pump.) It’s not stable enough for life at sea, so once Jr is launched again, she will need a new set of batteries.  

PictureDave with Joe and Caroline
Surprise Visit

The text came early one morning. Joe, from Pocahontas, was on his way through and wanted to stop for a visit. Arriving after lunch, we took him (and puppy Caroline) on a tour of Faith before he had to head out for Ocala.  

PictureSaying goodbye. The new owners take the Puma away.
Making Plans
So, with our Puma sold and our vaccines secured, we now could make plans. We had an interview with Janes Island State Park in Maryland and signed up for an April hosting position. We worked our way through travel restrictions in Virginia and New York to make doctor’s and dentist’s appointments. We plan to work our way to Indiana in early July. Why? More about that in a later update.​


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Parting Shot
It’s Lent here at Faith, so the church is distributing Lenten bags to parishioners. Hemingway is standing guard over them.  It's an exhausting job.

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Late January - Slowing Down?

1/31/2021

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PictureOut on our nightly walk


With the formal Nomads project over, the campground emptied quickly. Sandy was the only Nomad to stay behind. We took some time to catch up on some of our projects, and work on some smaller tasks around the church.  

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Going, Going, . . . Gone
The dry spell had us scratching our heads. After a couple of weeks advertising our Puma RV for sale, the response had been . . . crickets. We weren’t even getting e-mails from spammers.

Suddenly, that changed. We ended up arranging to show it 5 times over the next couple of weeks:
- The first potential buyer canceled at the last minute. Too many steps.
- The next was enthusiastic and promised to return Saturday. We never heard from him again.
- The next came, looked around, asked a couple of questions and left. Guess it wasn’t quite right.
Between this showing and the next, Dave was in e-mail and then phone conversations with 3 new shoppers. Although all 3 seemed serious, to our surprise, it came down to a “race” between 2 buyers who had to travel several hours to get here.
- The 4th showing was via Zoom to a couple in NC. They called back and wanted to see it in person, even working to arrange a hitch installation locally. Although they couldn’t come until Thursday, we were thinking the deal would likely go through.
- The 5th showing was to the eventual buyer. Contacting us on the Monday following our weekend Zoom session, things started to move very fast. Knowing a buyer was coming later in the week, he decided to come the next day. Wow. The next morning, the tour lived up to the couple’s expectations, we agreed on a price, and made the deal in a couple of hours.

It ultimately took about 4 weeks to sell, and we were paid a market price for the RV, not the wholesale value offered by the dealers. We had 5 happy years in the Puma, but we are ready to part with it, as we get comfortable in our new Cougar. ​


PictureSandy painting Asbury
Faith Work
After cleaning up the last of the supplies from Mission House, we turned our attention to some other projects around the campus. Although the front of Asbury Hall and all of its trim had been painted (by Sandy) a couple of years ago, we had never addressed the other 3 sides. Sandy, with help from Cathy, began powerwashing, prepping and painting the sides and rear.



The rain arrived just as the project ended, which was the first proof of the modifications to the gym roof. The good news was that the big puddles were gone. The bad news was that there were still small spots of water on the gym floor. The only possible source of the water seemed to be the numerous screws holding down the metal roof. Presumably over time the gaskets under them had deteriorated. The problems seemed to be localized to a section of the north side of the roof. With little enthusiasm, we climbed back up to the roof with a can of roof patch and some brushes. One by one, we coated hundreds of screws in the affected area. We can only hope that the next rain will leave the floor dry.
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The church campus has 18 crepe myrtle trees. You may ask how we know that. Well, they need pruning every year. The colder temperatures this gave us two benefits in this job. The spring budding was delayed, and this usually hot, sweaty job was much more tolerable. Over a couple of days, we managed to prune all of the trees and haul away the limbs, grateful for the recently repaired Lazarus as well.

There are myriad smaller tasks that keep us busy – changing a door knob, solving computer and internet problems, repairing a lever on the chop saw, re-lighting a member’s hot water heater, . . . Well you get the idea. It’s all in a day’s work.

And Other Stuff

For a truck that is only a little over 2 years old, seeing the ABS break warning light come on was unexpected. Dave broke away from the project to have it checked out. (You don’t want to find yourself driving without brakes.) It turned out to be a Hydraulic Control Unit or HCU. Why would it fail so soon? It’s a victim of the pandemic. Apparently, these HCU’s want to be used, and we aren’t driving the truck enough. Who knew?

The morning that the truck was due back to have the new HCU installed, Dave found the passenger front tire low on air. Really? After re-inflating, it held for a day, but the next morning was low again. A trip to Discount Tire found a bolt embedded in it. They made a permanent fix to the tire free of charge, and it’s been good ever since.

Trouble comes in three’s, they say, but the next problem had nothing to do with the truck. After walking all over the campus, through the field, over to the Mission House, Dave discovered he was missing a hearing aid. With Cathy’s help, he retraced his steps, sifting through grass, checking inside and outside for the missing device. Just when we had almost completed the circuit, Eureka! He found it in the road by the gym entrance – a little worse for wear. Unfortunately, it wasn’t working. So, once the truck problems were corrected, he made a trip to Costco, and amazingly was able to get it repaired while he waited.

Our social lives are still limited, but we were treated to a rare social event, as we gathered around a campfire in Evalyn’s driveway one afternoon to chat. The next day on Dave’s birthday, we celebrated with some grilled steaks and Cathy’s first attempt at a Molten Lava cake, which was a hit. Maybe next year we’ll be able to celebrate with a few more people.  

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Early January - Making it Work

1/22/2021

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PictureDave and Brad repair wood at Pastor Jacob's house

The first few weeks of January came and went in a blur. Our first Nomads project during Covid was a resounding success for the work accomplished safely. We continued to make small changes to better use our new RV and have been tweaking our marketing to help sell our Puma.



PictureMark and Brad work to repair floor joists in Mission House
Getting it Done

Afternoon devotions outside. Couples working independently or teams outside. Singing with masks on. No church dinners. Two couples canceling due to pandemic concerns. It was a different year.

​The work went on however. And although it shouldn’t be surprising, we were again in awe of how much was accomplished, despite the constraints of the pandemic. Our priorities were restoring the Mission House to service for the use of Beyond 90, installing gutters and repairing damaged wood on Pastor Jacob’s house, finish sealing the gym roof, repairing the well that is used to water the community gardens managed by several Burmese families, fixing a leaking drain pipe and getting a golf cart running. Not too much to ask. We even squeezed in a few more tasks as well.

​
You can get a glimpse of what was accomplished in the project video, seen here. 

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RV Stuff
The big sign on the window said, “Thin-Shade Ready”. Our entry door had a window that had no shade or other covering. That might work here in Jacksonville, as we faced the woods, but was less appealing as we moved on from here. But those 3 words on the door made it seem like a simple fix. We ordered one of those shades, watched a video after it arrived and quickly went to do the simple install.

Not so fast.

What should have been simply flipping 4 latches open and then closed took all of Cathy’s and then Dave’s strength. And the shade still kept slipping out. Until one of the plastic latches snapped off. Since this was part of the installed window, what next? We contacted Lippert about the problem and, to our surprise, they immediately acknowledged that this should have been easy. Within a few days, a new window was on its way. Hopefully it would install easier than the shade.  

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Since the window was a “snap-together” frame, the tricky part was separating the new window to get it installed on the door. Using 16 plastic “wedges” provided with the new window, we carefully popped each snap without breaking anything. Whew!  

With this success under our belts, we moved on to the existing window and popped it off the frame. The new window went on quickly as well. So, the final step was to install the shade. And sure enough, we flipped the 4 latches open, popped in the shade and then flipped them closed. It worked. And we did it all over our lunch break. Not bad. ​

Our compliments to Lippert.   
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​Another feature of the RV is an outdoor kitchen area with a small dorm-sized fridge and a built-in grill. When we went to use the grill for the first time, Dave decided he needed to watch some videos to be sure he was setting it up correctly. What he discovered was not exactly what he was looking for. This grill was pretty much universally panned in every review. The BTU’s were too low. It didn’t collect grease well. It was mounted too close to the RV. So, rather than use it, we opted to keep our reliable Weber grill and think a little harder about what to do with the built-in grill. 
We adapted the Weber grill to run off the RV's low-pressure quick connect, by removing the pressure regulator from the grill and buying an adaptor kit with a 12-foot hose.  Now, we can continue to use the RV propane tanks to run the grill.  


PictureDavid cleaning roof of Puma
​While we had scrambled to clean the inside of the Puma before the project began, Dave had been meaning to clean the roof as well. The opportunity presented itself one Friday during the project. After an exhausting hour or so of scrubbing, the roof looks better for the sale and shows that it is solid and well cared for. We also expanded our online presence with a Facebook Marketplace ad.   

Parting Shots
The holiday get-togethers continued into January over Zoom – Wendy’s birthday, a Hutchinson family gathering. Cathy eventually finished Dave’s Christmas present ( a bag for one of his Ryobi tools) . And we continue to get good news about Cathy being cancer-free after a meeting with her surgeon. Perhaps the best news was Dave’s vaccine appointment. He had his first shot the day after the project. That’s a milestone. ​
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