Out 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.
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.
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.
Sandy 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.
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.
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.
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.
