Boarding our last segment in Raleigh back to Jacksonville Back in Jacksonville after a month-long cross-country train trip, we didn’t sit back and relax too long. On the morning we returned, Dave began prep for a test 3 days later, and Butch cornered Dave before he could even set foot in the RV to show what had been done over our month away. With only a few days of overlap before they would head out, we worked together on a few projects that would make a difference here at Faith.
View from the Texas Eagle on our way to San Antonio. Train Travels
Our train trip back from California went very well and we enjoyed the trip back as much as the travel out. We didn’t have any missed connections and the scenery on the new routes was beautiful. We spent a couple of days in San Antonio, a city neither of us had visited before, and took a riverboat trip in New Orleans. After a weekend visiting Cathy’s family in NC, we boarded our last train south from Raleigh to Jacksonville on Sunday night, with only a couple of days to spare for our 30-day USA Rail pass. If you want to see more of trip, you can take your pick of the almost daily videos we posted to share our travels by clicking on the link below.
Our train trip back from California went very well and we enjoyed the trip back as much as the travel out. We didn’t have any missed connections and the scenery on the new routes was beautiful. We spent a couple of days in San Antonio, a city neither of us had visited before, and took a riverboat trip in New Orleans. After a weekend visiting Cathy’s family in NC, we boarded our last train south from Raleigh to Jacksonville on Sunday night, with only a couple of days to spare for our 30-day USA Rail pass. If you want to see more of trip, you can take your pick of the almost daily videos we posted to share our travels by clicking on the link below.
Sprucing Up
We were asked to spruce up the landscaping around the sanctuary, which was over 200 feet of ground to cover. That required 60 bags of top soil, 80 bags of much, several dozen plants, and running 2 irrigation lines that had to go under 4 sections of sidewalk. Thankfully, we had a younger, stronger back to help with the worst of the digging. The results look much nicer than before, but time will tell how the beds hold up.
We were asked to spruce up the landscaping around the sanctuary, which was over 200 feet of ground to cover. That required 60 bags of top soil, 80 bags of much, several dozen plants, and running 2 irrigation lines that had to go under 4 sections of sidewalk. Thankfully, we had a younger, stronger back to help with the worst of the digging. The results look much nicer than before, but time will tell how the beds hold up.
Butch searches for a malfunctioning irrigation valve The church has irrigation lines that run throughout the campus. Several years ago, we re-plumbed the source of the water for these lines to come from the church’s well. However, the irrigation zones had not run in several years, and they needed to be tested and repaired before they could be activated again. The controllers needed to be updated as well. With a little help from us, Butch worked his way through the zones and got all of them working again.
Dave connecting new ethernet cable for Beyond 90. While we were away, Butch had run a new ethernet cable to provide more direct service to Beyond 90, and shortly after our return, Cathy put the ends on the cables to put the new wire into service. We continued to provide support to the office staff when they had computer problems, but the most unexpected call to duty was on Mother’s Day Sunday, when we were asked to run the slides and music for the Spanish service. Cathy’s high school Spanish and some cues from the lay leader got us through it.
While Butch worked on the irrigation system, Cheri worked her way through painting several recently emptied classrooms. We put together a short montage of the work they had done for their final dinner, which was a pleasant surprise for them, but also a reminder of all the things they had accomplished in a few short weeks. On the 3rd Saturday of May, they headed out for Georgia, and we found ourselves as the only ones left in the campground.
While Butch worked on the irrigation system, Cheri worked her way through painting several recently emptied classrooms. We put together a short montage of the work they had done for their final dinner, which was a pleasant surprise for them, but also a reminder of all the things they had accomplished in a few short weeks. On the 3rd Saturday of May, they headed out for Georgia, and we found ourselves as the only ones left in the campground.
Zinc anode from hot water heater eaten up after a year's use. RV Stuff:
Although we arrived in the morning after one of our worst night’s sleep on the train, we had some RV maintenance to attend to that only made sense to do that day. With the hot water heater off and therefore cold, we drained and flushed it, and then let it de-scale with a vinegar solution most of the day. We replaced the zinc anode, which showed it had done its job over the past year, and refilled the tank. By the evening, we had hot water again.
We had treated the fresh water tank over the month away with bleach, so that had to be drained and refilled. However, before refilling the tank, we wanted to regen the water softener, which required a trip to Walmart to pick up 3 lbs of plain salt to do the job. It takes about an hour to flush the softener, fill it with salt and then flush it again after it has had time to set. That task done, the fresh water tank was filled, and we were back in business.
Although we arrived in the morning after one of our worst night’s sleep on the train, we had some RV maintenance to attend to that only made sense to do that day. With the hot water heater off and therefore cold, we drained and flushed it, and then let it de-scale with a vinegar solution most of the day. We replaced the zinc anode, which showed it had done its job over the past year, and refilled the tank. By the evening, we had hot water again.
We had treated the fresh water tank over the month away with bleach, so that had to be drained and refilled. However, before refilling the tank, we wanted to regen the water softener, which required a trip to Walmart to pick up 3 lbs of plain salt to do the job. It takes about an hour to flush the softener, fill it with salt and then flush it again after it has had time to set. That task done, the fresh water tank was filled, and we were back in business.
Shane replacing trailer brakes A few days later, we had Shane from One Sec Mobile come to replace the brakes on the trailer. Since he needed the slides in and access to the trailer was limited, we took the time to break in a new generator we had purchased. This was a small one that we opted for just to be able to charge batteries when we were boondocking. It needed to run for 5 hours at varying rpm before an initial oil change. After 5 hours of turning crockpots on and off, we finished the break-in and did the oil change. Since rain was due in a couple of days, Cathy then made a cover for the generator, so it could ride in the back of the truck when the tonneau cover was rolled back.
Dave wears a new accessory for a day. Taking Pictures
One other thing that started the day we returned, was Dave’s prep for a camera endoscopy. He swallowed the camera on Thursday morning and then was fitted with a data recorder, that looked like a tricorder from the first Star Trek series. This was followed by another regular endoscopy a week later, which caused us to miss saying goodbye to Butch and Cheri. However, we decided to go to Whit’s afterward to get some frozen custard, which seemed like a good way to mark the end of the fasting needed for the procedure.
One other thing that started the day we returned, was Dave’s prep for a camera endoscopy. He swallowed the camera on Thursday morning and then was fitted with a data recorder, that looked like a tricorder from the first Star Trek series. This was followed by another regular endoscopy a week later, which caused us to miss saying goodbye to Butch and Cheri. However, we decided to go to Whit’s afterward to get some frozen custard, which seemed like a good way to mark the end of the fasting needed for the procedure.
