As most of you know by now (if not, you live under a rock), Kay and I are proud owners of a 2008 Monaco Camelot. We purchased this young lady outside of Dallas last June and immediately sped up the road to Mena, Ark to meet my sister and all of her family. Over the months since putting this young lady on the road, we have made so many upgrades, improvements, and necessary needed maintenance improvements, well lets just say don't get me started. The old adage of service after the sale comes to mind. The more I think about it, the more PO'd I get. The way the industry "after the sale" treats people is appalling to say the least. Little did I or Kay know we would be fighting a fight and have zero input to the discussion or decision about the "onesies and twosies" of getting this lady back to and acceptable status. From refrigerators, to hot water and heat, to the radio, to the awning, to the central vac,,,,,,,its just incredible.
We are honest and hard working folks who have tried to walk to straight and narrow when it comes to living inside the law. But its amazing how hard it is for the law to back up the consumer. This may be a rambling or even a vent, but somebody big and powerful needs to get ahold of the RV "after the sale" industry and start jerking a knot in their butts.
OK, now that's out and said, lets talk RVing. We love this life and wouldn't change anything for the world. Except maybe for the weather. If anyone has input, please talk with the man and ask for understanding. Its impossible to drive this lady in crosswinds. She has a mind of her own and doesn't play well with winds over 20MPH going down the road. (Oh well, time to pull over and have an adult beverage and wait it out)
Since my last post, we have put over 5500 miles on the Princess and The Frog. (I gotta tell you,
we love The Frog).
Now, for those that wonder how we gave up our big Dodge 2500 Mega Cab Diesel for The Frog, well try 40MPG some sexy styling. This car tows great and is easy to hook up and unhook. Kay and I were laughing the other day at how easy it really is to master the whole process. Hard to believe June will be a year since purchasing.
In January, we joined the Monaco Group in Quartzsite for a couple of weeks and I don't even know where to begin. Imagine over 51 rigs in a circle surrounding a campfire every night and more knowledge imaginable in a circle. Every day was incredible, with folks taking slide covers off and resewing seams to fixing doors to putting in new porch lights. Left us plenty of time to head down to the big tent a couple of days and pick up those "bargains."
We spent over a month in Yuma, AZ at a pretty upscale Resort. Can you spell COSTLY?!?! Yuma's west side is all about RVing and RVers. There is a Flea Market from Thursday thru Sunday that is phenominal. Hard to believe all the "hard to find" stuff at a flea market. But there it was. Under cover and very well organized.
We left Yuma and the high cost of living to one of the greatest little RV parks in all of our travels. Welcome the AJO HEIGHTS RV RESORT, Ajo, AZ. This is only a 25 or so space park but absolutely filled with some great folks. Its really nice when everyone waves and says "welcome". We stayed here for two weeks and fought the flu. Yeah, our honeymoon was over. I stayed in bed for over three days while Katey stayed on the couch for about the same time. Nasty, Nasty, Nasty. The cough and fever never left either of us the whole time. Took Katey to the Doctor and he filled her with some drugs but basically said, "Go to Bed." Hard to visit an area when you feel like,,,,well, you get the picture.
We are currently in Benson, Arizona and fighting the seasonal change of temps and winds. One day its 85 degrees, and beautiful, and the next its 60 degrees with 25 mile an hour winds. Plus Katey is still not feeling 100%. She's fighting the good fight, but just cant kick it.
As I type this, our plans are to head toward Las Cruces, New Mexico for a few days kicking around some old stomping grounds (Ft Bliss and El Paso). Would like to head toward Fredricksburg, Texas and hang around there for a week or two. Have family in Austin we haven't seen for way too long. After that, we really want to see a lot of family in Fort Smith and Mountainburg, Arkansas, Been way too long!!
On a more personal rant, I implore all who read this to really take a look at your life and your tomorrow. What is your Crusade, Cause, or Campaign? (Probably never looked at it in those terms). Is there one thing in your life you're really passionate about. Moms/Dads, what are you trying each and every day to "Teach your Children?" If you don't mind the ramblings and musings of an old man, stick with it folks. What you say and do plus hold your children accountable for today, becomes their Cause, Crusade, and Campaign in the future. They will always remember what was important to you. Example: Respect for elders and adult members of the family and circle of friends. Sometimes it even means you have to be the Parent or Adult, and not the friend. Trust me, there's more friends to go around and not enough Parents. Yeah, its tough being the parent, but remember, you started this journey, not the child. If you have a debt or a promise you need to live up to, then do it. Waiting for "it" to go away doesn't resolve anything nor build respect. To the men of Kay and my family, how much is that handshake worth?
Well, I've bent your ear long enough. I promise to get more active and let you know what were doing. I ask you to do the same. Drop us a line or call every now and then. We miss everyone and would like to know how you're doing. Believe me when I say, we're home every day.
Hope you've hugged someone important in your life today and told your love ones just how much they mean to you. Everyone wants to be needed and loved. Let em know how much they mean to you.
Bye for now,
John, Kay, and Abby
