Whining and Complaining

Got your attention!  Anyway I could tell you all about the problems we are having with our home.  Our Norcold is once again not cold, and our 12 volt electronics are once again acting up.  It remains to be seen if one problem is causing the other, or just coincidence.

But instead I want to tell you about the wonderful time we had in Asheville, N.C. We arrived last Wednesday, and just left this morning.  Thursday we found a wonderful natural food store called Greenlife Grocery, and went there for lunch and some provisions.  Thursday afternoon I went on line and bought tickets for Friday to the Bilmore Estate.  You can save a few bucks by buying them online, even more if you buy seven days in advance.

Unfortunately, Friday morning started out bad.  We woke up to find out our Norcold had quit working.  Yes,  the module failed again.  We also had serious problems with our twelve volt circuits. After spending some time on the phone with a technician, it became apparent that I wasn't going to be able to fix things. Since we had already purchased the non refundable tickets for Biltmore Estate, we decided to go.  And I am really glad we did. It was really tempting for me to cancel our plans and try to figure out the problem, but I'm learning that these kind of problems can wait until another day.

As part of the package we also had lunch at the Deerpark restaurant.

Then we headed to the Biltmore House, and did both the self guided tour as well as a guided tour called "Friends and Family".

Our last stop was a complimentary wine tasting at Reindeer Village. If you prefer sweet wines, you might like their selections.  We don't, so we didn't buy anything.

After we got back to the coach, I walked Mollie and enjoyed happy hour outside inb our recliners. Since we had a big lunch, we just snacked a little and called it a day.

On Saturday I ran some wiring below for our Dometic freezer, so we don't have it sitting in the living room, and then we loaded it up with the contents of the Norcold freezer. We then headed out for a little more exploring and ended up at a wonder BBQ place called 12 bones.  We liked it so much that we brought home some ribs and bbq chicken.

On Sunday Judy fixed us a picnic lunch and we hopped on the Blue Ridge Parkway

and headed over to Oconaluftee Visitor Center in Cherokee.

Judy wanted to get her National Park Passport book stamped, and we wanted to explore the Great Smokey Mountain area a little more.

I must say that the Asheville area has now become one of our favorite spots.  We have a short list of places we really want to spend more time in and this is one makes the list.

This morning we hooked up the Explorer and headed north towards Knoxville. We are now set up and settled at the Racoon Valley Escapees Park. We need to pick up our mail and take care of a few things before heading up the road on Wednesday.

Until later.

Balm for the Soul

We pulled into the Winfield COE Campground on the J. Strom Thurmond Reservoir late this morning and it is definitely a winner.  We have had a week of gloomy weather, less than desirable campgrounds, and of course our saga with the Norcold refrigerator. We made a reservation at this campground several weeks ago and even though it wasn't our first choice of campgrounds here, it turns out to be exactly what we needed. We have a large private pull through site overlooking the water with 50 amp electric and water.  What more could you ask for.

Wednesday morning we had a very rainy drive up to the Augusta area and pulled into  Travel Country RV.  They were supposed to have repair parts waiting for us, but Norcold wouldn't ship them until this dealer could run a few tests.  So 15 minutes later, they ordered the parts and we found an RV park in the Augusta area to spend a couple of days.  The only way Norcold would expedite the parts was if I paid for the shipping, which I did.  We used Thursday to take Mollie to the groomer and to stock up on a few groceries and do a little clothes shopping.

I did not do as well as I was hoping on my weight loss for March. I only lost 3 pounds, but I have dropped another pants size.  I have gone from a tight 44 to a 38.  It has been a long time since I bought a pair of pants that size.  I have a photographic workshop coming up in a couple of weeks so we stopped in at Kohl's to buy a couple pair of jeans and a couple of shirts.  I have gone from XXL to XL so that is also good news.  Sometimes the progress seems painfully slow, and I tend to treat this like a problem to be quickly solved.  What I am learning is that even when I do reach my goal the process won't be over.  I'll be writing more about that in the coming months.  For now I know that if I "JUST DO IT"  the weight will come off.

The RV dealer called yesterday to tell us the parts had arrived. So this morning we headed back over there and got the new parts installed and.........our Norcold is now MoreCold!!!
We appreciated the personal service that Travel Country RV gave us, especially Clint the service manager.

It was a short 20 minute drive to our destination and it didn't take long to get our little camp set up.  If you have ever experienced a truly peaceful place and the feeling of a weight being lifted from your shoulders you know how we feel right now.  To be at peace with your surroundings is truly balm for the soul.

Until later.