Dave and Fred making furniture repairs We put in another couple of weeks of work at Residing Hope in the beginning of February, continuing with some of the same tasks, and shifting gears a bit to new ones. In our off time, we continued to work on the van and 5th wheel, addressing issues discovered in recent weeks.
The new drawers in place Residing Hope
With some assistance from Pat and Cathy, Dave and Fred finished making drawers for the furniture going into the resident cottage that was being refurbished. One of the more complex tasks, given the limited tools available was to get the angled drawer pull made. But after a few false starts, the guys figured out a method that they could make work.
With some assistance from Pat and Cathy, Dave and Fred finished making drawers for the furniture going into the resident cottage that was being refurbished. One of the more complex tasks, given the limited tools available was to get the angled drawer pull made. But after a few false starts, the guys figured out a method that they could make work.
Cathy with her work behind her. Cathy broke away from the wood shop for a few days to help out again in the mail room. One of the sustaining sources of income for the school are the 5th Sunday appeals that churches all over Florida participate in. When a month has a 5th Sunday, that day has a special offering for Residing Hope. This involved packaging materials – bulletin inserts, posters and pew envelopes – for nearly 350 churches in varying quantities. Cathy packaged the various items into counted quantities and then packaged them into the right-size box.
Not a green thumb, but a green index finger? While she finished in good time for the next 5th Sunday, she got off to a slow start. While cutting some labels to attach to the mailings, her left index finger got in the way of the paper cutter. After a trip to Urgent Care, she would be sporting a green finger for the next few weeks as it healed.
On a campus filled with Spanish moss, much of it where it shouldn't be, Pat had her work cut out for her. While the Residing Hope campus is lovely with dozens of old live oaks with their signature Spanish moss, this natural draping plant was wreaking havoc in the rest of the landscaping and vegetation. So, Pat and Sandy took on the challenge of removing as much as could be done before the upcoming Day of Hope open house. While they made lots of progress, this is a pretty-much endless task.
Fred supervises while Dave works to change our tires. Tire Saga Continues
With all of our tire drama as we made our way south to Enterprise, we were committed to replacing all of the trailer tires before we headed out again. Both tires on the driver’s side had been replaced – one last August and the other on our trip in January. So, we needed to replace both of the passenger side tires, but we didn’t want to drive the trailer to Discount Tire to do this. So, Dave removed one tire at a time and took it to be replaced. The better of the two became our new spare.
With all of our tire drama as we made our way south to Enterprise, we were committed to replacing all of the trailer tires before we headed out again. Both tires on the driver’s side had been replaced – one last August and the other on our trip in January. So, we needed to replace both of the passenger side tires, but we didn’t want to drive the trailer to Discount Tire to do this. So, Dave removed one tire at a time and took it to be replaced. The better of the two became our new spare.
Fender skirt damaged by our tire failure. There was just one more thing before we could put the tire issues to bed. The passenger side “fender skirt” (i.e., a plastic cover over the trailer tires) had been badly damaged when the tire blew in January. It took some research and a call to Keystone to find the exact part number for our fender skirt and a vendor that would sell to us directly. Installation should be easy since it is the same part number. But maybe not.
New fender skirt in place. Removing the old fender skirt seemed simple enough, until we tried to remove the silicone from the textured metal side of the RV. No solvent seemed to make any difference, just lots of scrubbing. Then installing the new one started out OK, until we realized that the holes didn’t line up. We made as many work as we could. Then we realized that we had lost 2 of the screws. Sigh. After a trip to the hardware store for the screws, we finished up with a bead of a non-silicone sealant and it looks good as new.
Dave gets his first look at the systems under the van's bed platform. Van Stuff
We also had some problems to address with the van. After more tests, we were now convinced that the starting battery did have a problem. In discussions with the local Ford service department, we learned that the battery should be under warranty for the first year, but our warranty start date was back in early 2024, almost 2 years of it having been used up. It took a few more phone calls to learn that the dealer had to complete a simple form to reset it to our purchase date. Once complete, we were able to take the van in for service. They replaced both batteries under warranty.
Since the van itself was almost 4 years old, our tires were even older. Given our problems with our Cougar’s 5-year old tires, we also asked to have the van’s tires evaluated. Both Ford and Discount Tire said they were good for our planned trip to Newfoundland. So, fingers crossed. We don’t want any more side-of-the-road tire changes.
With some warmer weather and some time on our hands, we finally dismantled the bed platform to understand the van’s systems that were installed under it. Access to these compartments answered some questions and raised others. There’s still more to do before we are ready for a longer trip, but we still have time.
We also had some problems to address with the van. After more tests, we were now convinced that the starting battery did have a problem. In discussions with the local Ford service department, we learned that the battery should be under warranty for the first year, but our warranty start date was back in early 2024, almost 2 years of it having been used up. It took a few more phone calls to learn that the dealer had to complete a simple form to reset it to our purchase date. Once complete, we were able to take the van in for service. They replaced both batteries under warranty.
Since the van itself was almost 4 years old, our tires were even older. Given our problems with our Cougar’s 5-year old tires, we also asked to have the van’s tires evaluated. Both Ford and Discount Tire said they were good for our planned trip to Newfoundland. So, fingers crossed. We don’t want any more side-of-the-road tire changes.
With some warmer weather and some time on our hands, we finally dismantled the bed platform to understand the van’s systems that were installed under it. Access to these compartments answered some questions and raised others. There’s still more to do before we are ready for a longer trip, but we still have time.
We prepare to board our river excursion in Blue Spring State Park. Valentine’s Day at Blue Spring State Park
Our location in Enterprise puts us less than 10 miles from Blue Spring State Park, a place for manatees in the cold of winter. We decided to celebrate Valentine’s Day there and had a surprise rendezvous with Evalyn, who drove south from Jacksonville on this lovely, warm day.
Our location in Enterprise puts us less than 10 miles from Blue Spring State Park, a place for manatees in the cold of winter. We decided to celebrate Valentine’s Day there and had a surprise rendezvous with Evalyn, who drove south from Jacksonville on this lovely, warm day.
The winter cold draws manatees to the warm spring waters. To the surprise of Pat and Cathy, the guys had booked a trip on a river cruise from the park’s landing on the St. John’s. Traveling several miles on the river, we saw many different birds, some manatees and LOTS of alligators.
Come along for the ride.
Come along for the ride.
Parting Shot
We don’t have to get on a boat to see lots of birds. The campus has lots of osprey, sandhill cranes, and some wild turkeys that like to take a stroll each morning. This guy was trying to impress his potential mate.
We don’t have to get on a boat to see lots of birds. The campus has lots of osprey, sandhill cranes, and some wild turkeys that like to take a stroll each morning. This guy was trying to impress his potential mate.
