Prep time & more…

Donna       Comments Off on Prep time & more…

Can you believe it? The first week of September is already history. That means we have three weeks to get the RV ready to head to Maryland for a month or so. He’s already done some major work inside, taking out the dishwasher that we stopped using because it clogged so easily. We used it for storage but there was a lot of wasted space.

Stu pulled it and all the associated hardware out, intending to put a door on it so I would have more storage. Off to Lowe’s he went for what he needed to make the doors. Instead he came home with an inexpensive, unfinished double cabinet.

Guess what? He made it fit, stained the doors, added handles similar to what we already have and BOOM! He’s a miracle worker. Here are some photos….

He still has a little finish work on the reverse side so we can use that space as well. I bought some shelving from Amazon that will work well inside there. For now it will hold what we took out of it, all the reusable plastic containers we use for leftovers.

Here are a few of the things we have planned during October.

  • Stu’s 50th high school reunion
  • Anne Arundel County Fire Department Bull Roast
  • Grand Funk Railroad concert
  • Red Helmet Ride (National Fallen Firefighter Memorial Ride)
  • A gazillion meet-ups with family & friends

On Saturday, Stu participated in the 5th Annual Tennessee Fallen Firefighter Memorial Ride, now renamed the Shady Brady TN Fallen Firefighter Memorial Ride in honor of our friend Barry Brady. He was a Captain in the Sparta, TN fire department and my next door neighbor when I lived in Sparta. He left behind a legacy that will not be forgotten.

“The Barry Brady Act, named for the 25-year veteran with the Sparta Fire Department who lost his battle with colon cancer earlier this year, grants firefighters with the presumption that any condition or impairment of health caused by all forms of Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma cancer, colon cancer, skin cancer, and multiple myeloma cancer that results in hospitalization, medical treatment, or any disability has arisen out of employment.” …source

Bikes at the end of the ride (panoramic view)
First stop

We participated in the very first ride five years ago but have been unable to attend again. Barry’s wife, Dawn, was thrilled there were 105 bike signed up – Barry’s goal had always been 100 bikes. Goal met!

It makes for a long day, Stu was gone twelve hours. They did have a two hour lunch & gas stop in Lynchburg before continuing on to the final stop. He took a quicker route home, stopping for dinner at The Rose Garden, a favorite restaurant for fantastic onion rings (and other good food). All in all – a great day!

So what’s next? Stu has to finish cleaning out Freddie (our Freightliner), change the oil, and check the tires. Inside the RV we have a toilet leak again (emergency fix last winter while we were in GA), and complete the inside cabinet work on the opposite side of the new space.

Me? I get to clean and reorganize everything but I’m hoping for a little cooler weather first. Next week is going to be close to 90° again. Ugh! Then I will sort through clothes and move in what we need for 4-6 weeks out and about. It could get quite cool so I have to take that into account as well as dressier clothes. Stu will handle the motorcycle gear and the dog stuff. I will be following in the Jeep (Jeremiah) and the #2doods will ride with me.

Speaking of the #2doods…here are a couple of recent pics. Enjoy!

Guarding us from the neighbor in her yard
Cooper with the new toy
(plush tree trunk for baby squirrels)
Murphy’s turn with the new toy
Mom, it’s time for dinner!
Ciao for now!
The McNicols

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About Donna

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