Florida Mobile RV Repair

Auntie Violet has been suffering from incontinence. She's had a fresh water leak that has steadily gotten worse. We've been able to deal with it by not using water pressure from the outside hose. We would just turn on the water pump every time we needed water. It's been a REAL pain! (I told Forry he has no idea how many times a day I wash my hands, especially when I'm cooking!) And there's NO pump switch in the kitchen -- I have to walk back to the bathroom to the switch every time. I was always getting in trouble for not turning the switch back off...

Forry and Bill pretty well isolated the problem when Bill was still at Mouse Mountain, but neither one of them could get to it. There's a pipe behind the AquaHot -- and a couple of other pipes -- they could see where the leak was, but neither one of them was skinny enough to get back in there. At least it was fresh water, so we didn't worry about it contaminating anything.

I have to tell you that we have had wonderful referrals when we contact local authorized AquaHot/HydroHot service centers (that's how we got hoses fixed in Kansas). The shop in St. Augustine we talked to had no mobile service and they were booked solid in their shop until the end of May! But they gave us a referral to Florida Mobile Repair. Dave set us up to come into their shop when we left Mouse Mountain RV Park this morning.

Now this is not most likely a place we would have stopped in without a referral about how good they were:

It's certainly nothing fancy with big elaborate bays or anything like that. Kinda looks like an old service station --

They actually worked on the leak problem out on the tarmac in front of the shop. They had this really skinny little fellow who was able to get back in there behind all the plumbing.

It turns out that it was nothing more then a very loose fitting. They tightened it up three turns and even got part of another turn on it! They thought it probably hadn't been put on tight in the first place and just kept getting looser and looser --

This guy really had to get under there and then squeeze up into it to fix it. He actually went ahead and put a little access plate in there so that if we ever have problems again, someone can get at it. The other good news is there did not appear to be any damage to the flooring from the leaking!

So, if you're ever in the Orlando/Kissimmee area of Florida and need some work done on your rig, don't hesitate to call Dave at Florida Mobile RV and Auto Repair. They are at 2255 E. Irlo Bronson Memorial Highway, Kissimmee, Florida. (407) 518-6739.

We thought their prices were reasonable as well. We paid $180 for two hours of labor plus $20 in parts for the access door. We were out of there a little after one, hooked up the Toad and made it to our new home near St. Augustine by dinnertime tonight. (Tomorrow I'll tell you about our first experience using the new Pilot/Flying J Good Sam Club RV Plus Card to diesel up.)

Another Monday

Well, I'll tell you one thing -- I am still tired! I did get ambitious enough this morning to empty my suitcase and to wash a couple of loads of laundry. It's been breezy enough that with the windows and door open, the clothes dried very quickly. Makes it much easier than those very humid airless days we had a couple of months ago when nothing dried.

We watched our usual morning TV, enjoying The View, Millionaire, and The Chew. Then we got our act together and headed into Kissimmee. Toad is a 2005 Jeep Liberty with 109 thousand miles under his belt. Last week before we checked out the route to the airport, he just didn't want to start. After adding some water to the battery and giving it a jump, we got him going, but it was pretty obvious that the battery was going to need to be replaced. He's had it since he was brand-new (he joined us a year later when the lady who owned him traded him in for a diesel model.).

We -- and some of our friends -- have had such good experiences with Interstate Batteries that I went on-line and searched for a store near us. The closest one turned out to be Tires Plus in Kissimmee. I called them to make sure they had what we needed in stock and to find out if we needed an appointment. I was assured they had the right battery and we were told to "just drop in."

They have at least five bays that were all full when we pulled in. The young woman at the counter was friendly, very efficient and got all of the paperwork done very quickly. We only waited about ten minutes for them to get to the Toad and it was all done within a half hour! They even made sure to check out the battery charge once it was installed as well as the starter and the alternator. They checked the air in the tires and made sure all of the fluids (coolant, washer, transmission, power steering etc.) were at their proper levels -- and then checked to make sure all of the lights were working properly. All of that without any additional charge!

If you're looking for great customer service and products while in the Orlando area, you couldn't find a better place. It's busy -- all the bays were again full when we left -- but they do good work. I think we'll probably drive back that way and get Toad's oil changed before we leave Florida at the end of the month.

Disclaimer - We have no relationship with either Interstate Batteries nor Tires Plus other than as customers.

Visitors from Spokane!

A month or so back, I got an email from my friend Cathi saying that she and her husband Dave would be flying into Tampa and then driving through Orlando on their way to visit family further south the latter part of March. She was wondering if we were still going to be here and if we could meet up for lunch. I immediately double-checked the calendar to make sure our reservations here were through the 27th.

So today we met up with them at a Crisper's over on Highway 27. Neither of our GPS units liked the address of the restaurant, but we were able to find it and then guide them in. What a delight to see them as we hadn't been together since last summer!

Cathi was the Conference Coordinator for several years at the Area Health Education Center at Washington State University in Spokane where we both worked. We have had an "AHEC Reunion" every summer when we have returned to the Spokane area (Cathi has even hosted it at her house, when we decided it was easier for the AHECers with children to meet at a house rather then a restaurant.). We have shared trials, tribulations and joys over the years and are now really enjoying being in the grandmother stage of life.

What made it especially nice today was to enjoy the 80 plus degree weather here while we knew that it was snowing in Spokane this morning!

Food Trucks Bazaar!

I am familiar with the Taco trucks -- there are a lot of them in the Northwest, especially in areas with a large number of Hispanics. We like to eat at them and I really like their mini-tostadas. And I've read about the more gourmet food trucks in New York City that people follow on the Internet in order to find their current locations.

But I've never heard of, nor imagined a gathering like the one we sent to this evening in Sanford, a town north of Orlando where Leslie's brother lives.  Every first Saturday of a month, the town hosts a Food Truck Bazaar in a large downtown parking lot. The City Council decided this would be a good thing to attract people to the stores in the downtown area.

There is all kinds of food. The one above is The Twisted Cuban with, of course, Cuban food, while the one below is called Fork in the Road. The slogan says "When you come to a fork in the road, you should stop and eat!" I'm not sure what they were serving -- never got to that one.

There was a l-o-n-g line in front of this one --

Oh, no wonder, they're selling gourmet cupcakes of all kinds!

How about a lobster roll?

This one was the Gastro Truck. Their menu featured things like shepherd's pie.

People had brought lawn chairs and even tables and set up little encampments while they sampled --

Forry had a pulled pork sandwich from a BBQ truck and I bought a "pupusa," a pork stuffed tortilla with a cabbage slaw.

I was intrigued by this menu and had to get us some skewers of chicken hearts -- mm good!

There was a truck with Swedish food, one with crepes, a waffle one, a Vietnamese one and another that was all desserts. That's just the ones I can remember... There was even a gourmet handmade popsicle cart where we got lime mojito popsicles.

A Quiet Day at Mouse Mountain

It is eight PM and we are all sitting outside enjoying the beautiful warm evening. We are trying to decide what we want to do while we are here for this coming month. One of the reasons we decided to come back to the Orlando area was to join our Disney fanatic friends at Disney World. When we were here before, it was during the holidays which is entirely the wrong time to be at the Park with all of the crowds. The pricing system for tickets is rather strange. The best deal seems to be a ten-day pass. It would work well if we could scatter the ten days over the month, but the way it works is you have to use the ten days within a 14 day time period after the first day of use.

We also are thinking about going to Universal Studio to the Harry Potter show. We'd like to maybe go to Crystal Springs to kayak with the manatees. Then there's the Kennedy Space Center. And knowing us, we'll need to plan for some "down" days in there as well.

While Bill and Leslie went to their workout with their trainer this afternoon, I got started on the 2011 book work. I cannot believe I have been so lax this year -- the only month I actually had done was last January! I got another month done, but I am sure the rest will go faster as it took me a while to get back up to speed with the software.

We really need to think about a major grocery shopping trip, maybe even a Costco run. I made salads for dinner with the last of the green stuff in the refrigerator. I grilled the last two steaks in the freezer and the last package of sweet potato fries tonight. It was so nice out that Bill and Leslie sat outside with us to eat. And to think that last night at the same time, it was pouring rain!

On To Mouse Mountain

This is how close we were parked to the oak tree by our site at Ja-Mar RV Campground! Forry had done a slick job of backing in (good guidance, you know...) --

He couldn't go back any further without losing a mirror and he had to be back that far in order to have room for the slide to go out --

We got pulled out just fine (me holding my breath and urging him to drive straight out) and then drove out the back exit to the Brethren Church parking lot where we hooked up Toad.

 

We waited until we were there to pull out the compressor and add some air to that back inside dual which ALWAYS seems to lose a bit when we are parked.

We had a pretty straight forward trek halfway across the state back to the Orlando area and the Mouse Mountain RV Campground, arriving there a bit after 1:30. We were just finishing hooking up water and electricity and putting out the slides when our friends Leslie and Bill came over to visit and welcome us to the park where they having been staying for the past four months.

After a short visit, they departed for dentist appointments while we opted for much-needed naps (after all we had been up early getting ready to go!) Upon their return from the dentist -- and a couple of fillings later -- we went with Bill and Leslie to Steak n Shake for hamburgers (I had a really delicious portobello burger) and milkshakes.

Brown Pelicans

We've enjoyed watching the Brown Pelicans that often fly into the mangroves across the little canal in front of where Auntie Violet is parked. They do have webbed feet, but seem to have no problem perching in the trees.

The Brown Pelicans (I know, I know, they are more gray than brown!) are a very large bird, although not as large as their cousins, the American White Pelicans.

 They can weigh up to eight pounds and have a wing span of over six feet --

They look incredibly elegant once in the water, though they are quite clumsy-looking as they land.

 I think this one thought he was on patrol, keeping an eye on the motorhomes along the canal --

We spent most of the morning with Bill and Leslie, just enjoying a last visit before they started on the six hour plus drive back to Orlando. It clouded up early this afternoon and we had a brief rain shower. It was just enough to wet the sidewalk before the sun came back out.

Errands -- and More Errands

Today was a day for running errands. We were just going to make a quick run to the post office to mail a couple of things, then Forry wanted to see if he could find a new switch for the lamp on his side of the bed at a Lowes. Then he decided he needed to go to Napa Auto Parts and then we decided we needed to go to Harbor Freight. So our quick trip turned into a good part of the day!

Since we really don't know the Orlando area at all, we relied on what I had been able to find for addresses on the Internet and what the GPS unit told us. We were able to find a couple of places that were in the same vicinity, but I'm sure we probably drove a lot of extra miles to get to the rest. We have the GPS unit programmed to avoid toll roads, so we end up seeing a lot of nice country that we probably wouldn't get to see if we took the freeways.

We saw a couple of grapefruit and orange stands on our way out and promised ourselves we would stop on the way home. But, of course, we didn't see a single one while coming back!

We did get a nice Christmas package from Daughter Dawn that had some packages and lovely notes from the grandkids -- and new pictures of Grandson Micah and Granddaughter Kyra! We saved the packages for Christmas, but are enjoying the pictures and notes.

Making Reservations

Forry and I usually fly pretty much by the seat of our pants. We're not real in to making reservations, partially because we don't like to plan that far ahead. But, we realize we are in unfamiliar territory at a very busy time of year. So the last week or so, we've been looking through the various directories looking for where we might want to stay during December.

We have some friends in Tallahassee that we'd like to visit, so we were looking for a place near there. Through our home resort, Neskowin Creek in Oregon, we have memberships in both Resorts of Distinction and (ROD) Resort Parks International (RPI). ROD only has a couple of parks in Florida, but RPI has quite a few. We finally decided to try Pine Lake RV Park near Fountain. Unfortunately, while it is an RPI park, it is not an RPI Preferred park.  Which means we could only stay there one week using the $10 per night rate (plus their $5 per night electricity charge!) instead of the usual two weeks.

But, that will work. If we leave Styx River on December 6th, we would be at Pine Lake until the 13th. Then we want to be somewhere fairly close to our friends Bill and Leslie who are settled in at Mouse Mountain RV Park near Disney World. I spent some time on the Internet checking reviews on RV Parks in the Orlando area. A couple of the ones we looked at in the RPI directory had some very poor reviews. It seems that many of the membership RV Parks are old and in need of renovation! (We've run into that several times!)

We finally made reservations for two weeks at Bee's RV Park near Clermont. It had some pretty good reviews and the pictures on the Internet looked nice. We'll stay there until the 27th and then most likely start heading down the towards the Keys.